Choices of the Heart
by ElysianFire
Summary: Set 4 years after OoT. Link is convinced he is in love with Zelda, but when Malon and Zelda are captured by a dangerous man set on revenge, he must make a difficult choice. Will he save his best friend or the girl he thinks he loves? Only one can live.
1. Prologue

_A/N: Hey guys. Sorry it's kinda short, but it's just the prologue. I promise the chapters will be much longer. Please R&R!!_

Prologue:

The man sat at his desk, the features of his face hidden by the shadows of the deep blue hood he wore, surveying his latest work. A beautiful young girl stood in front of a mirror, smiling at the reflection. Her long hair fell in red waves about her shoulders, and her smile was one of pure joy. Beside her, his arm wrapped gently around her shoulder, stood an equally beautiful young man. Blond hair that shimmered like gold framed his youthful face, and his blue eyes sparkled with a joy that matched that of the girl's. At first glance, the painting seemed to depict a wonderful, happy moment, but for one single detail. The other hand of the young man, the hand not around the girl's shoulder, was clenched around a dagger, which he seemed to have just plunged into the girl's heart. A dark red stain was beginning to form, staining the girl's white dress. The girl seemed not to have noticed the dagger plunged through her heart, and smiled happily, blissfully unaware that her lover had just betrayed her.

A dark chuckle escaped from the man's lips. Yes, he could not wait to set his plan into action. What a wonderful moment it would be, to see that girl's smile fade as the man she loved took her life, to watch her shining blue eyes lose their glow, dimming at the last moment with an unbearable sorrow. Of course, he would give her a chance, one final time to change her mind, to give him what he really wanted, but if she refused, her fate would be sealed, as would the fate of the one she loved.

The man took the painting gently, lovingly in his hands, and strode over to a nail sticking out of the wall, surrounded by many other paintings, each one depicting the same girl. This painting would go into his personal collection; all others were unfit to view the beauty of this treasured work of art. Only he would see this painting. The corner of his mouth twitched into a half grin as he hung the painting on the nail. Soon, very soon, his plan would be set into action, and then everything he desired would be attained.

Still chuckling to himself, the man strode out of the room, shutting the door firmly and locking it with a click behind him.


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: Woot! Yay for long chapters! I had so much fun writing this. Sorry if I messed up on a few details. Anyway, please R&R!_

Chapter 1:

Rays of early morning sunlight shone on Link's face from the window directly above his bed, breaking through the barrier of his closed eyelids with an irritating red gleam. Groaning, the fourteen year old boy turned over onto his other side in a vain attempt to escape the light. Too early. It was too early. But something tugged on the back of his mind, something he needed to do. If he could just remember…

He lay there for a moment, pondering what exactly he was supposed to be doing, and then it hit him. In a bolt, he shot out of the bed, leaving the cozy warmth of the sheets and exposing his body to the cool morning air of early spring. He shivered slightly, as he was dressed only in his undergarments, and hurried to his dresser, tripping and nearly losing his balance on one of the many tunics that lay strewn across the floor. Opening the dresser, he sighed with relief at the last clean tunic folded, or rather thrown, untidily in the drawer. Thank the goddesses, or he'd have to make a quick trip to the stream to do laundry. Today was no day to wear dirty clothes.

Holding up the tunic and deciding that the wrinkle damage was not too bad, Link hastily pulled on the tunic, and his shivering thankfully stopped. Shoving the hat he always wore over his incessantly messy blond hair and clumsily pulling on his boots so that he stumbled again, the boy ran out the door of his tree house, not bothering with the ladder, but jumping the few feet to the ground as he always did. Link started to run toward the tunnel leading to Hyrule Field, but paused at the sound of a familiar voice calling his name.

Link turned around. "Saria, I can't talk right now! I've got to go!" he said urgently, hopping from one foot to the other in his eagerness to get going.

The green-haired girl sprinted up to him. "I know," she said, smiling. "I just wanted to wish you good luck today."

"Okay, well thanks," Link replied hastily. "I've really got to get going now. I'll see you later!" Before Saria could say anything else, he turned and ran toward the tunnel.

"Remember to be on your best behavior!" Saria called at Link's back disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel. Placing her hands on her hips, she smiled and shook her head before returning to her house.

Once he had crossed the bridge and reached Hyrule Field, Link pulled out his ocarina and played Epona's Song. The familiar song reverberated in the air around him, as though by some strange magic, and the sound of hoof beats pervaded the empty field as the auburn mare trotted towards Link, her long white mane flowing behind her, drawn by the song named for her.

The young mare stopped at Link's side, whinnying in delight to see her golden-haired master. Link petted his faithful companion's nose affectionately, then hoisted himself onto her back. "Okay, Epona!" Link told her. "To the castle!"

Once again whinnying with delight, the mare broke into a gallop, the strong muscles in her shoulders rippling beneath her glistening fur as she sped gracefully across the grassy field. Link sighed happily as the wind whipped his hair back and whistled through his ears. A perfect day spread out before him. The sun shone bright and merry in a clear and dazzling blue sky. Not a single cloud dotted the vast blue expanse, as though a good omen that nothing would dot this perfect day. He could not have asked for better.

Keeping a hand tightly on the reins, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the crisp white envelope, marked with the seal of the royal family. Pulling out its contents and unfolding them, he reread the letter once again:

_To our good subject Master Link,_

_We do hereby invite you, in the name of our lord the King, His Majesty King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, to attend the royal celebration of the thirteenth birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Zelda Agafiya Hyrule at eleven o' clock in the morning on the tenth day of Farosebesh. The goddesses rest with thee._

_Signed,_

_Duke Renaldo Ambergini  
Duchess Marcilla de Serlicses  
Viscount Harold Thomas DeRui_

Link skimmed through the first sheet of parchment, then moved the second sheet to the top. Written in a sloppy scrawl, the second sheet read:

_Link,_

_My birthday party is on next Lisatchi. Daddy's making a much bigger deal out of it than it really is, but I hope you'll come. It's going to be such a bore without you. Hope to see you there!_

_Sincerely,_

_Zelda Hyrule_

Replacing the papers in their original order, Link folded them and placed them back in the envelope, which he stuffed carefully back into his pocket. The smooth gray-white walls of Hyrule Castle now loomed up before the boy and his horse. Drawing in the reins, Link slowed Epona to a stop right outside the drawbridge and slid onto the ground.

Link could feel his excitement rising as he gazed at the open drawbridge leading into Hyrule Castletown. "Thanks Epona," he said to the mare.

Epona neighed softly and nuzzled the boy's shoulder with her nose. Link laughed and rubbed her. "Okay, okay. I'll buy you an apple for later, okay?" he promised. The horse whinnied happily and nuzzled him affectionately once again before trotting back in the direction of Lon Lon Ranch, her home.

Link smiled widely as he watched her disappear over the hill. Whistling the lullaby Zelda's nursemaid, Impa, had taught him the first time he ever met the beautiful young Princess of Hyrule, he strode over the drawbridge and into Hyrule Castletown. The normally crowded streets of the town were even busier than usual. A number of carts and vendors lined the road on other side, and people dressed in their finest bustled about, shopping and gossiping with one another.

Link hastily stepped aside as a little boy ran straight at him, chased by an older girl. The children laughed loudly as they ran, happy smiles lighting up their bright faces. As he watched the children run past, Link felt something knock into him, causing him to stumble backwards and fall on his butt on the hard, cobblestoned street.

"Shit that hurt," Link muttered under his breath. He looked around for the source of his fall, and saw another boy struggling to his feet.

He was about fifteen or sixteen, a little older than Link. White-blond hair hung loose and smooth around his shoulders, and green eyes twinkled at some private joke in an elegant, youthful white face. As he regained his composure, the boy seemed to follow Link's suit, searching for whatever he had just run into. When he caught sight of Link still sitting on the ground, the boy's face broke into one of shock and apology.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, hurrying to offer Link a hand up. "I guess I wasn't watching where I was going. I have a lot on my mind," he explained as he pulled Link up to his feet.

"Yeah, that's okay," Link said, rubbing his thigh which was now throbbing painfully. "I guess I wasn't really paying attention myself."

The older boy glanced up at the sky and started. "Really sorry about that, but I'm in a hurry. No hard feelings?"

"Um, no, it's fine," Link replied. "I'm in a hurry myself."

"Alright. See you around, then!" the boy called, before hurrying in the opposite direction of the castle.

Link blinked at the boy, a little confused, but shrugged it off and headed on his own way. He shivered slightly from excitement as the crowded cobblestone changed to a smooth pathway and he could make out the gates to the castle ahead. Memories flitted across his mind of past times he had walked this pathway. The first time he came down here, he had felt much like he was feeling now—excited, nervous, and a little scared. Even though he had walked down this path many times since then, he still remembered the first time clearly, that one time that had started everything.

Link shook his head. This was no time to be reminiscing; judging by the sun's position it was already nearly 11:30. How had it gotten so late? He hurried to the gate, where the same guard who had been on duty the first time he had visited the castle.

"Hey! Link! I thought I might see you today," the guard called as Link approached.

"Do you need to see the invitation?" Link asked, stopping in front of the gate.

"Nah. I'd be less likely to believe you if you told me you _hadn__'__t _been invited," the guard chuckled, opening the gate for Link to pass through. "Hey just between you and me, I think she might like you," the guard told Link in a low voice as he passed. He winked as Link looked back at him, and closed the gate.

Continuing down the path, Link felt his face growing slightly red at what the guard had said, but inside he felt unbelievably excited. Could Zelda, the Princess of Hyrule, most beautiful girl in the land, really like him, a simple forest boy? He broke into a run, feeling exhilarated at the very thought. He slowed as he reached the closed drawbridge that led into the castle, two guards stationed at either side.

Link did not remember seeing these guards before, and they eyed him suspiciously. "Um," Link mumbled, fumbling in his pocket for the envelope containing the invitation. "Er…here," he said a little awkwardly, handing the envelope to the guard on the right.

The guard examined the broken seal on the envelope, then pulled out the sheets of parchment. He studied the first letter carefully and turned to the second. The guard raised an eyebrow as he read the second letter, and Link blushed, realizing he had given him the letter Zelda had written to him personally. After what seemed like an embarrassing eternity to the young teen, the guard seemed to decide the letter was authentic, because he returned it to Link and nodded for his fellow to let down the drawbridge.

Replacing the envelope in his pocket, Link hastened inside, still feeling embarrassed. Inside the castle was even bigger than it looked on the outside. Link knew that many rooms and corridors snaked throughout the interior, having been led down them countless times by an eager Zelda. He was glad he knew the way to the courtyard, since no one seemed to be coming to lead him there.

_P__robably because __I'__m so late_, he thought, a little angry with himself.

Link walked through the familiar corridors, still amazed at the sheer vastness of Hyrule Castle, until at last he arrived at the gate leading to the courtyard. Guards were stationed throughout the mazelike pathway as usual, but most of them knew Link by sight, and those who didn't nodded their approval when he showed them the envelope containing the Royal Seal. At last, Link arrived at the courtyard, only to be stopped short by the sight that met him.

Bewildered, Link stared around him. The courtyard, unlike he was accustomed to, was filled with people, most of which were over the age of thirty, and all of which were dressed in elegant, expensive looking clothing, their bodies decorated with rich silks, satins, and jewels. A group of snobbish looking women caught sight of Link gaping in the doorway. They looked him over once and then looked away, their expressions as though they had just seen something vile and unspeakable.

Suddenly, an overwhelming desire to run away filled Link. A lump formed in his throat as he attracted the shocked and disgusted stares of even more finely dressed people. His limbs felt like jelly, and he knew his face had flushed deeply, but Link forced his legs to move through the crowd of royals.

_Zelda wanted me to come, Zelda wanted me to come,_ he repeated over and over in his head. _If she hadn__'__t wanted me to be here, __I__ wouldn__'__t have been invited and she wouldn__'__t have written me that letter herself._

However, even as he told himself this, Zelda seemed to be nowhere in sight. He looked around feverishly, trying to find her amidst the cluster of people. At last, he caught sight of a familiar blond girl in a pink dress, standing by the window as always. She wore a stiff smile on her pretty face as she greeted various people who approached her. Feeling relieved, Link pushed through the crowds with more vigor in order to reach her, but was stopped by a firm grip on his shoulder.

The hand which had grabbed him turned Link around forcefully, and the boy found himself looking into the face of a stern, elderly looking man scowling down at him. "I believe you may have stumbled into the wrong place, boy," the man said in a harsh tone, accenting the word "boy" as though it were something distasteful he desired to spit out immediately.

"But I have an invitation!" Link said, trying to reach in his pocket for the envelope.

"I don't think so," the man retorted, grabbing Link's wrist with his other hand. "Whoever sent you must have been a fool. How would a peasant like you receive an invitation to the celebration of the Princess of Hyrule's coming of age?" he spat. "Tarence, call the guards while I hold him," he added to a middle-aged man with graying brown hair and whiskers a few feet away.

---

Zelda could feel her cheeks aching from forcing herself to smile for so long. She nodded as yet another distant relative she did not recognize came to greet her, murmuring a polite response. Her throat was starting to burn from so much talking, and she yearned to get out of this uncomfortable dress Impa had insisted she wear. It would not have been so bad if it hadn't been pink of all colors. She fought the urge to scowl. Where was Link? Wasn't he coming?

She sighed inwardly as the next relative approached, not breaking her ever present smile. Maybe he didn't want to come. He had probably guessed something like this would be dull and full of snobs, and decided it would be wiser not to come.

_He could have at least sent a message saying he wasn__'__t coming,_ she thought bitterly.

As she opened her mouth to greet whoever was now standing before her, her eyes caught sight of a familiar green hat not too far away. She stopped mid-curtsy and whirled around to get a better look, much to the surprise of her greeter.

Sure enough, Link stood amidst the crowd of people, as usual dressed in his forest green tunic. She smiled at the sight of him, a little amused that he still chose to wear that simple tunic, even on an occasion such as this. Well, she admired his gall. Or maybe it was just ignorance…

Zelda's smile broke into a frown as she realized what was going on, and she hurried down to the steps and to the area where Link stood. "What is going on?" she demanded in her most princess-y tone.

The guards who were seizing Link and the elderly man who had been holding him looked up, surprised to find their princess standing before them, so seemingly angry.

"We caught this rubbish snooping around," the elderly man explained. "No doubt an assassin or thief."

"Is that so?" Zelda asked. "Well, this so called 'rubbish' is, in fact, Link Kokir, _Royal Ambassador to the Kokiri Forest_, and you would do well to release him this instant," she berated the man and the guards, glaring firmly up at them, her hands on her hips.

The man and the guards released their grip on Link, and took a few hasty steps backwards, looking taken aback. "I-I beg your pardon Your Highness, Master Link," the elderly man stuttered, looking frightened. "Had I known, I—"

"It is forgiven," Zelda cut him off, waving her arm as if to brush the matter, and the man, aside. She took Link's hand and led him away, towards the gate leading out. "Come on," she whispered so that only he could hear, "let's get out of here."

"That was amazing!" Link exclaimed once they were out of the courtyard and far away from the crowds of royals.

Zelda shrugged. "There are some advantages to being a princess," she said. "That 'party' was dreadful, though. I thought I was going to die." She looked at him, and her face broke into a wide smile. Link saw the spark in her eyes he had learned to dread, and suddenly felt very afraid.

"Let's sneak out of the castle and go out to the town!" she cried, starting to bounce excitedly.

"Are you out of your mind?" Link asked, gaping at her. "There's even more guards than usual! We're bound to get caught!"

"Well," Zelda said thoughtfully, pondering this problem. "I know! There's a secret passageway in the throne room! We can use that!"

"The throne room? Won't the King be there?"

Zelda shook her head. "Daddy's probably pacing his chambers like he's been doing all week. I think he might be a little nervous about me turning thirteen." She gave a goofy grin. "Oh, please, Link? Can't we? Please?"

"I dunno," Link said uncertainly. Zelda poked her lip out, giving him her most pleading look. How could he refuse? "Well, okay," he agreed, staring at the ground and ruffling his hair as he always did when he was feeling nervous.

"Alright! Come on, I'll take you to the throne room!" Zelda shouted so loudly Link was afraid someone might have heard. He didn't have time to check though, because Zelda had grabbed his hand and began dragging him behind her through parts of the castle he did not recognize, as she had been doing ever since he had first started visiting regularly.

As Zelda led him down one of the many corridors, something caught Link's eye, and he stopped to stare at it.

"What is it?" Zelda asked, coming back to join him. She followed his gaze. "Oh, that?"

"This girl," Link murmured, staring at the girl whose face was portrayed in the sky above tall dark mountains, her long red hair flowing out to join the reddening clouds of dusk, "she looks like Malon."

"Does she really?" Zelda asked, peering curiously at the girl in the painting. "I've heard that the artist who painted this always depicts this same girl in his paintings. It's like he's obsessed or something."

"Who's the artist?" Link inquired, still staring at the painting.

"No one knows," Zelda whispered. Her tone took on a mysterious air. "He signs all of his works with the initials 'L.R.'. They say, no one has ever even seen his face. He always wears a long, blue cloak, and keeps his face covered by a hood."

Link shivered, though he wasn't sure why. Strange painters who kept their faces covered by a hood and didn't tell anyone their name didn't really bother him, but something seemed unusually creepy about this "L.R.".

"Come on, let's go before someone catches us," Zelda said, tugging on his wrist impatiently.

Link let her lead him away, but his mind remained on the painting. Zelda said that the same girl always appeared in L.R.'s paintings. Was it possible that the girl was Malon, or was he just being overly paranoid? He wracked his brains, trying to think of anyone who might have some strange obsession with the farm girl, but could find no one. As far as he knew, the only people Malon ever came into contact with were her father, Talon, Ingo, and himself. Could it be one of the customers of Lon Lon Ranch? He seriously doubted it, but who knew.

"Hello in there!" Zelda called, waving her hand in front of Link's face. Jumping slightly, Link realized she had probably been calling him for a good moment now.

"Oh, sorry," he said. "I guess I got lost in my thoughts."

"Apparently," Zelda muttered, looking a bit annoyed. "We're at the throne room. Just let me check to make sure no one's inside."

With some effort, she pushed one of the great doors in front of them open a crack a poked her head inside. "There's no one here," she said in a low voice.

Together, they pushed the door open wide enough for them to both to slip in, and slowly let it shut behind them. "This way," Zelda whispered, running quietly across the vast room to the thrones set on pedestals at the very back wall.

Link gaped at the throne room. It was huge, probably the biggest room he had been in so far. A huge, red velvet carpet covered most of the room from the doors, leading to the two thrones set side by side up a miniature stairway. Before he could take in the rest of the room, Zelda broke into his thoughts again.

"Link, we need to move something in here. I think it's that shelf," she whispered urgently, pointing to the large, ornamental shelf set right against the wall behind the thrones.

Nodding, Link followed her to the shelf, and began pushing. Sure enough, the shelf began to move ever so slightly, slowly sliding across the stone floor until it revealed a large hole in the wall where it had stood. Link could feel a damp cold issuing from the hole.

Zelda ducked into the hole and as soon as she did, the shelf began to slide back into its place. "Hurry! Before it closes!" she ordered.

Obediently, Link hurried into the hole, and behind them the shelf closed over the entrance, shutting out all the light and throwing them into complete darkness. "Zelda, I can't see a thing," he whispered loudly, searching the darkness, unsuccessfully, for her face.

"I've got it," she whispered back, and a moment later a tiny orb of light appeared, hovering in mid-air just in front of her face, illuminating the darkness and revealing a stone passageway. "Lead the way; I haven't got a sword," she stated the obvious.

"Sure," Link agreed, hurrying ahead of her and feeling slightly annoyed. Didn't she think he would take the lead anyway?

Almost immediately, the passage split off into two paths. When, after a moment's hesitation, Zelda did not offer the correct direction, Link chose a path, relying on his instincts and hoping they didn't get hopelessly lost in this place. He knew he would regret giving in to Zelda's pleas, as he always did.

As he walked cautiously through the passage, Zelda close at his heels with the ball of light, Link began to see large rats scampering about. He frowned and felt for the sword he always carried on his back. The rats seemed to be leaving him alone for now, but he hoped no monsters turned up. That was the last thing he needed.

The passageway seemed to continue forever, constantly breaking into multiple paths, and eventually changing into a sewer overflowing with the giant rats. Link drew his sword as one of them bared its teeth at him. Seeing the sword, the rat backed off, snarling. Behind him, Zelda shrieked, and the orb of light wavered. Whipping around, Link saw a rat had lunged at her, taking the hem of her dress in its oversized, yellow teeth.

Acting quickly, Link swung his sword at it, and with a spurt of dark blood and a squeal of pain, the thing fell over dead. Link grabbed Zelda's hand, and started to run through the sewer, his sword held at the ready. At last, Link saw a lever set into one of the walls. "Here, take this," he told Zelda, handing her the sword.

She took it, and her arm gave way under its weight, causing the sword to hit the ground with a loud crash. Using both hands, she pulled it back up and held it wobbling in front of her face. Link grabbed the lever and started to pull with all his might. Slowly, the lever began to move, and as it did, a section of the wall began to life upwards, and light leaked through. Link pulled the lever out all the way, and he and Zelda ran through the open section, glad to escape the dank, dark, rat infested sewer. They emerged in the Temple of Time, and behind them, the wall slammed shut.

"Well, that was certainly an adventure!" Zelda exclaimed, breaking into a wide grin again as she handed him back his sword.

Link frowned as he returned the blade to its sheath. He opened his mouth to scold her about the dangerous path she had chosen, but then something occurred to him. Zelda seemed overjoyed at the very aspect of being outside the castle. She was running and skipping around the Temple of Time excitedly. She probably felt trapped, always confined to the walls of Hyrule Castle, never allowed to step foot outside unaccompanied by guards. Link remembered how excited he had felt the first time he left the Kokiri Forest, how he had enjoyed so much the simple freedom of being able to leave the confinements of the forest for the first time in his life. Smiling a little, he decided to just help the princess enjoy her day free from her confinements. He was sure Impa and her father would scold her plenty once she returned.

"Come on! I want to see the town!" Zelda called, running out the doors of the temple. Link followed her, and together they headed into the bustling town.

"Wow!" Zelda exclaimed. "Look at everything!" She spun around, trying to take in all her surroundings at once. There was so much life here, even more than she remembered from the last time she and Link had snuck out of the castle two years ago, on a day when there had been less guards around and they sneak out the front gate.

Zelda turned to Link. "I don't remember it being this busy last time," she commented.

"It's in celebration of your birthday. They have it every year, but this year it's even bigger than normal," Link explained. "There's all sorts of festivities—games, face painting, and there'll probably be fireworks later."

"Link, I want to do everything! Where should we start?" She looked around, and a clothing shop caught her eye. "First, I want to get some different clothes. This dress is a nightmare." She ran into the store, and Link followed after her.

Without much difficulty, Zelda decided on a sun yellow, knee-length dress with light brown leggings to go with it. "I want this," she told the store owner who had come over to ask if they needed any help, pointing to the outfit.

"Okay, then!" the owner, a stout, middle-aged woman with reddish-blond hair tied in a bun at the nape of her neck, said cheerfully, taking the outfit and examining the price tags. "That will be 35 rupees."

"What? You mean I have to pay?" Zelda asked, as though the idea were completely unheard of.

"Of course, silly!" the woman replied. "I'm running a business, not a charity!"

"But—"

Link cut Zelda off before she could finish her sentence. "I'll buy them for you," he said hastily, handing the woman the money.

"Well, what a sweet young man," the woman said. "You've got a fine catch there, little missy. Make sure you hang on to him," she added to Zelda, causing the two children to blush and hurry out of the store.

"Um, thanks for the clothes," Zelda said as they stood outside the store, awkwardly avoiding eye contact.

"No problem. You should probably go change," Link suggested.

"Right." Zelda looked around and spotted a restroom not far away. "I'll be right back." She hurried off to the restroom.

"So, you really have to pay for everything out here?" Zelda asked Link a few minutes later, happily enjoying her double scoop, vanilla ice cream cone.

"Yep, that's how things work," Link said. He had already finished his chocolate ice cream cone.

"Oh. Well, I don't get why I should have to pay. Doesn't my father pay for everything anyway?"

Link shook his head. "No, actually everyone else pays taxes to your father. Out here, you're just a regular person, and your father hasn't already bought everything you want. That's just how things work."

Zelda shrugged. "I guess. It still doesn't make sense. Let's go play some games next!"

Link followed her as she ran towards the section where games had been set up. Suddenly, Zelda shrieked, "Ren!" and threw her arms around a tall boy.

Link felt a twinge of jealousy, and had to fight the urge to attack the boy on the spot. Then, he realized that he recognized the boy. "Link! Link! Come here! There's someone you have to meet!" Zelda called to him, waving him over.

"Link this is my cousin, Duke Renaldo, but you can call him Ren." She indicated to the blond boy she had just hugged.

"You're the boy from before," Link said, shaking hands with Ren, the boy who had run into him earlier.

"Hello again," Ren said.

Zelda looked from one to the other. "You two already know each other?" she asked.

"In a way. We ran into each other this morning," Ren explained, his green eyes twinkling at the pun.

Link grinned. He seemed to be lousy at making jokes, but Link decided he liked this Ren. Duke Renaldo…the name seemed slightly familiar. Where had he heard it before?

"So, you've been sneaking out of the castle, huh?" Ren inquired of Zelda. "I really should tell your father."

"Oh, please don't!" Zelda begged.

"Well, since it's your birthday, I suppose I'll let it slide this time. Just don't tell anyone I knew about it when you get caught," Ren said, winking at her.

"Agreed!" Zelda said, her face shining. Link felt another twinge of jealousy at the close bond they seemed to have. "Are you going to stay with us? It'll be so much fun!" Zelda asked.

"I'm sorry, I can't. Being a duke is hard work," Ren said apologetically.

"Aww. Okay," Zelda consented, looking disappointed. He hated to admit it, but Link was kind of glad. As much as he would like to hang out with Ren and get to know him better, Link didn't want anyone sharing his day with Zelda.

"It was good to meet you. Again." Ren said to Link. "I suppose I'll be seeing you more often." He winked, and headed off toward the castle.

"Isn't he great?" Zelda asked Link, then, before he could reply, "I wish he could have stayed. It would have been so much fun."

"You seem really close to him," Link said, trying to mask his jealousy.

"We are. He's the son of my father's late brother; we grew up together. Ever since his father, my uncle, died last year though, he's been really busy. I guess since he had to take on his father's job, he has a lot to do, but I really miss him." She looked very sad, and Link felt sorry for her. He felt like he should comfort her, but he wasn't sure what to do.

After a moment of silence, Zelda looked up at him with regained excitement. "Come on! We have a lot to do!"

---

Malon watched herself in the mirror as she carefully wound her long red hair up over her head, and fitted a cap over it, holding it in place. Her disguise was complete. She was dressed in trousers and a loose shirt that hid her newly developing breasts. Satisfied, she pulled on her boots and headed down the stairs, tiptoeing quietly passed her loudly snoring father and out the door.

She walked over to where Epona stood waiting for her. Malon smiled and petted the mare who had been her loyal friend since she was a child. "Dad said it's inappropriate for a girl my age to wander around Hyrule Castletown alone," she whispered in the horse's ear, as though sharing a great secret, "but he didn't say anything about a boy. What do you think?" She held out her arms wide and turned around slowly to allow the horse examine her.

Epona snorted and shook her head. Malon stuck her tongue out at her. "Party pooper," she declared. "Oh well, it doesn't matter," she said, climbing into the saddle. "Even if you don't think it's a proper disguise, I think it'll work fine. Besides, I know how to fend for myself."

Once Malon was comfortably settled in the saddle, horse and girl set off out of the ranch, breaking into a gallop once they reached the field. In no time at all, they had reached the town, and Malon climbed off.

"Wait for me here, okay girl?" Malon told Epona, who whinnied in response.

Malon walked into Hyrule Castletown, and stared, amazed, at her surroundings. She had thought the previous festivals in honor of the princess were amazing, but this definitely surpassed all. Glancing around, she wondered where to start. Even if Link had stood her up for the princess in who's honor this festival was about, Malon was determined not to let it get her down. She searched the shops, and spotted the one she was looking for. Link wasn't going to be able to teach her archery today like he had promised, so she would just learn on her own. She headed for the small shop entitled "Shooting Gallery".

Inside, the burly owner smiled warmly at Malon. "Afternoon, lad. Have you come to play?" Malon nodded. "Ah, you have your own bow," the man commented, eyeing the bow strung across Malon's back. "May I see it?"

Malon unstrung the bow and handed it to him. He turned it over in his large, rough hands. "Hmm…rough, not very attractive, but a good make." He handed it back to her. "Where did you get it?"

"My friend made it for me," Malon explained. "You might know him; his name is Link."

"Ah! Link! I'm not surprised he made that," the man said, nodding. "I might have to give him some tips on how to make it more attractive though, eh?"

Malon smiled. "Can I play now?"

"Oh, of course! Hold on while I set up."

Malon waited while he set up the game, and brought her a quiver of arrows. "Just shoot the rupees once it starts," he told her.

"Don't I have to pay?"

The man waved it aside. "Since you're a friend of Link's, I'll let you go for free."

"Thank you," Malon said.

"No problem. Just tell me when you're ready."

At Malon's signal, the game began to start. Drawing back the bowstring as Link had showed her and taking aim, Malon let the arrow fly. She missed the first rupee by a long shot; the arrow flew straight for the first few feet, and then took a nose dive and fell to the ground. Pulling back a little farther on the second one, she let go, and this time the arrow flew all the way, only missing because she had not been fast enough. By the time the game had finished, Malon had managed to shoot six of the rupees. It wasn't too great, but she figured since it was her first time shooting, she had done fairly well.

She smiled, happy that she was as good at archery as Link had thought she would be. It was nice to know she wouldn't be beaten by Romani, Malon's parallel in the world of Termina. The story of the girl Romani, who looked exactly like Malon and fought off aliens with a bow and arrow was just one of the many fascinatingly unbelievable stories Link told, but Malon believed them all. Over the four years they had known each other, she had learned to tell when he was lying. They were, after all, best friends.

Malon fished some rupees out of her pocket, this time insisting the man let her pay, and played a second round. By the end of the fourth round, Malon was able to hit all of the rupees perfectly, and by the time she had left had won herself her own quiver of arrows and a hundred rupees.

She grinned happily as she said goodbye to the owner and headed out of the shop. She wouldn't mention to Link about her outside practice when he came over to apologize and teach her tomorrow, as she was sure he would once he realized he had forgotten her. She would let him think she was a better archer than he was. That would be fun to rub in! She giggled, and wandered over to a food vendor. It was already fairly late in the evening, and her stomach was grumbling.

---

The hours seemed to fly by with Zelda. She could be annoying at times, but Link still enjoyed getting to spend time with her. It was just starting to grow dark outside when the fireworks started. Zelda squealed with delight, and dragged Link over to a secluded spot where they could see the fireworks almost perfectly.

They sat side by side, watching the bursts of light blossom into various shapes, but Link wasn't focused on the fireworks. He was more interested in the fact that Zelda's hand was only centimeters from his own, that if he moved his hand just the slightest bit, their fingers would be touching. For a few moments, he sat there, gathering up courage, and finally, his heart pounding nervously, he lifted up his hand and placed it on top of hers. As their hands touched, Zelda looked up into his face and smiled, and their fingers closed around one another's.

Together, hand in hand, they watched the fireworks, until rain began to pour down on top of them. The air was filled with excited screams as adults scurried to take cover from the rain and children hurried to play in it.

"Oh no!" Zelda shrieked. She stood up and, still holding on to Link's hand, dragged him to an alleyway where the roofs of houses provided some protection from the downpour.

Link was suddenly worried about how stupid he must look, sopping wet and dripping water everywhere. He probably looked like a waterlogged rabbit. He looked around, trying to find something to distract himself with as he felt his face growing hot.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. Pulling his hand from hers, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny, wrapped box, which he handed to Zelda. "Er…happy birthday," he mumbled, embarrassed.

"Link, you shouldn't have," Zelda said, taking the box from him. She tore off the paper, revealing a blue velvet jewelry box. Opening it, she saw that it contained a pair of earrings. They were made of two perfectly round, pink stones which dangled on the end of a short, silver chain. The stones seemed to glow, as though with their own inner light.

_Ugh, pink_, Zelda thought, but she didn't want to say it out loud. Link might get his feelings hurt. "Um, wow, they're um, really pretty," she managed.

Link was still staring at his feet, his cheeks tainted a slight pink. "They're made of starstone, mined in the mountains of Carydanus," he told her.

"Thank you, Link," Zelda said. Smiling up at him, she stood on tiptoe and gave him a small peck on the lips, then looked away, blushing.

---

Malon was suddenly very glad it was raining. With rain water pouring down her cheeks, she couldn't tell if she was crying or not. She would never forgive herself if she cried over a boy. She thought back to all the pathetic girls she had scorned, letting their lives be ruined by some boy. How many times had she sworn never to let that happen to her? Besides, she had always known that Link liked Zelda. If Zelda liked him back, why shouldn't she kiss him? It wasn't all that big of deal. Even so, she felt as though someone had just stabbed her in the heart, and it hurt more than anything in the world. And suddenly, she knew she was crying, because the tears felt hot against her face, and the rain was just a cold shower, washing over her.

She turned and ran down the street, sobbing, not minding that she lost her cap and her long red hair was flowing free behind her, not caring when she slipped in a mud puddle and fell, scraping her knee. None of that mattered anyway. She ran as fast as she could out of Hyrule Castletown, away from that terrible place, and buried her face in the sleek wet neck of her one true companion, the only one who had ever truly been there for her since her mother died. And she let the tears flow freely, mingling with the rain water that soaked the coat of her only friend in the world.

---

Link could feel his face on fire, and his heart hammering wildly in his chest. She had just kissed him! He felt giddy; his head was spinning. Zelda had just kissed him! The Princess of Hyrule had just kissed _him_! He was quite certain that this was going to be the best thing he would ever experience in his life, because Zelda, the girl he had a crush on since he first laid eyes on her when he was ten years old, had just kissed him.

"Um, I guess we should get going," Zelda suggested quietly.

"Yeah," Link agreed, unable to keep from smiling.

Zelda took his hand once more, and together they walked out of the alley and in the direction of Hyrule Castle, and Link was positive that nothing could ruin this perfect day.

"That's them! There they are!" a voice called.

"Quick! Grab him!" yelled a second voice, and suddenly, armed soldiers were pouring down on top of Link, and they had grabbed him and pulled Zelda away. One of the soldiers took his sword.

Link struggled against the strong, hard grip of the man who held him. "Hey! Let go of me!" he demanded.

"I don't think so," the soldier who had grabbed him said. "You're under arrest for kidnapping the Princess of Hyrule."

_A/N: Alas, poor Link. The kid just can't get a break._


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N: Aya...another super long chapter. I'm not used to making chapters this long. Sorry if some parts were kinda corny...I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic.  
Oh, thank you to Truth Questor, for pointing out the letter thing. I'm not really sure how that happened, but it's fixed now. Thank you!!_

Chapter 2:

"Daddy! Why has Link been arrested?" Zelda demanded, breaking away from Impa's hold on her shoulder and running across the room to confront her father.

The king, a tall, muscular man, stopped his nervous pacing and turned to face his daughter. His bearded face, normally kind and gentle, was unusually stern. His normally twinkling gray eyes held none of their normal compassion.

"Link? So, that boy you're always running around with is the one who did this?" King Daphnes shook his head. "I should have listened to my advisors from the start," he added under his breath.

"Listened to your advisors? Are they the ones who told you Link had _kidnapped_ me?" Zelda cried. She turned an angry glance to the two advisors standing together beside her father. They looked away, avoiding eye contact with her. "Daddy! I wanted to sneak out! It was my—"

"Young lady, I don't want to hear it," her father cut her off sternly. "Whether or not this little rendezvous of yours was a kidnapping, that boy is clearly having a bad influence on you."

"But Daddy!"

"Enough, go to your chambers. You are forbidden to ever see that boy again ." The king turned away, clearly indicating that the conversation was closed.

Zelda opened her mouth to protest, but Impa placed a firm, gentle hand on her shoulder. "Come, Your Highness," she said softly, leading the young princess out of her father's chambers.

"Impa, it isn't fair," Zelda said. Tears began to prick the back of her eyelids as she allowed her nursemaid and guardian to lead her down the corridors of the castle. Her blue eyes full of pleading, she looked up at the austere, warrior-like face of the woman beside her.

"Are you really going to let him do this?"

Impa looked down at the hurt, innocent face of her young consort, and her stern face softened with compassion. "I'm sorry, Princess," she said. "I will talk to him later, but his mind seems to have been made up."

Zelda nodded. Hurt and angry tears leaked slowly down her cheeks. She wanted to pitch a fit like an angry child. She wanted to throw things at her father and stomp around the room; she wanted him to know just how much he had ruined her life and how much she hated him for it. It wasn't fair. How could he do this to her?

"Zelda! Impa!"

Zelda looked up to see Ren running down the corridor towards them. He looked as though he had just come from outside, because his hair and clothes were soaking wet and he was dripping a trail of water as he ran down the hall.

Ren slowed to a stop as he reached the pair. "I heard what happened. Is Link all right?" he asked his cousin.

Zelda shrugged, and realized her hands had clenched into fists. Slowly, she unclenched them. "I don't know," she answered softly. "He was arrested. I guess he's been put in the dungeons."

Ren bit his bottom lip and peered at the girl thoughtfully. He turned his attention to Impa. "Take her to her room and get her dried off. I'll talk to the King," he told the Sheikah. He winked at Zelda. "Don't worry. I'll take care of everything."

The duke ran past them in the direction of King Daphnes' chambers. Zelda looked up at Impa, and Impa smiled. "You see? If anyone can convince the King, it's Renaldo."

---

Link sat against the wall of the dark, dank cell. It was like being in Zelda's secret passageway all over again, only now he was trapped. He moaned and leaned his head back so that it thudded against the cold slimy wall. "This is what I get for giving in to her wild ideas," he muttered to himself.

He wrinkled his nose. The dungeon held an awful, moldy stench, and he still had yet to get used to it. How long had he been in here, anyway? It felt like an eternity, but it couldn't have been more than an hour.

_I__ wish there was a window or something down here,_ he thought. The only light provided came from two torches, giving the cell a dim, eerie orange glow. A rat scuttled across the floor in front of him, and with a grimace he moved his feet back several inches.

"It seems you've been wrongly put in here," a low, raspy voice said.

Link jumped and looked around for the source of the voice. He saw something move in the darkest corner of the cell, and a human shape emerged, walking towards him. "Who are you?" Link asked as it moved closer to him. How had he not noticed a second person in the cell with him?

"My name was lost long ago," the voice replied.

The owner of the voice had stopped walking, and Link could see him, he was sure it was a him, more clearly now. He seemed tall, a good few inches above Link's height. In the dim light, Link could not make out his features, but he seemed to be dressed rather richly, though his clothes were probably worn and dirty from his time in the dungeon. A dark hood was pulled over his head, throwing his face into deep shadows.

The sight of the hood triggered something in his memory. Zelda had said the artist who made that painting wore a hood. "Are you…L.R.?" Link cautioned tentatively.

Link could almost feel the man's faint smile. "Ah, that does strike memories. Perhaps I am. Perhaps." he said thoughtfully.

Link frowned. Was he bluffing? He sounded sincere, but maybe he was just teasing Link. Link didn't like the way he felt around this man. "What do you want with me?" he asked, suddenly suspicious of something, he did not know what.

"Want? We are in the same cell, locked away in a dark lonely dungeon. I had thought you might like some companionship," the man said. His arms were crossed over his chest.

Link's frown deepened, and he eyed the man. It made sense, but this man still gave him bad vibes.

"I can see you don't trust me, though I don't know why," the man commented. "What can I do to ease your misgivings?"

"Take off your hood," Link said.

Again, Link could feel the man's cold smile. "I'm afraid I cannot do that," he said.

"Why not?"

The man's eyes narrowed behind the shadows of his hood. "I have my reasons."

"Then I have no reason to trust you," Link said, turning his face away from the man and leaning his head back against the wall.

The man advanced so quickly, even Link, with his years of experience in fighting, did not have time to react. It was as though the man moved with the help of some dark magic.

The man held Link up by his throat against the wall, and bent down so that they were on eye level. "Truthfully, I do not find it necessary for you to trust me," he hissed, and Link felt the man's cold breath against his face.

Link felt fear spike through him as he peered into the deep shadow of the man's hood. Even so close they were only inches away from one another, he could not make out the slightest features of his face beneath that hood. It was eerie, abnormal. Even as the bearer of the Triforce of Courage, Link suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to curl up in a dark corner, to escape the grip this terrible man had around his throat, to run as far away as possible.

Before Link could act, the man loosened his grip on Link's throat, and let him slide to the floor and collapse in a terrified heap. "Others are coming," the man spoke softly as he shrank back into the shadows of the cell, "but it matters not. Soon, you will pay for everything you have done to me."

Link found it hard to think as he lay on the hard floor shivering, not from cold, but from fear. What had this man done to him? What dark power did this man possess, that he could fill the Hero of Time with so much terror that he was paralyzed with fear? Even Ganondorf had never inspired such fear in him, never even come close.

Slowly, Link felt some of the fear subside, so that he managed to pull himself into a sitting position, though he still trembled uncontrollably. He forced his eyes to look into the corner where the man had hidden himself, but nothing was there. It was as though the man had disappeared completely, or had never even existed. Link felt a shiver run through his body.

Soon, as the man had said, Link heard footsteps and saw the lights of torches moving towards him from outside the cell, and two guards came down the stairs leading to the dungeon. Momentarily, the silence was broken only by the jangling of keys, and then a loud click echoed and the gate to his cell swung open.

"We've been ordered to release you," one of the guards said. Link did not recognize either of them as the ones who had arrested him in the first place. "The King wishes to see you," the guard continued. "Apparently there's been some sort of misunderstanding."

Grateful to escape the cell, Link stood and walked over to the guards. Stopping at the gate, he stole another glance at the dark corner. He turned to the guard who had spoken to him, a man with kind brown eyes, maybe in his forties. "Is there anyone else supposed to be in this cell?" he asked the guard.

The two guards exchanged a knowing glance. The guard turned to Link. "There was a man, once, who was locked away in here," he said. "He was creepy. He would just sit in that corner over there with his hood on, but it was like you could feel his expressions, even if you couldn't see them. I hated having to bring food to him. Most of the time he would just stare at me, but sometimes he would speak, and when he did, it was like he was sending out vibes of fear that would make the strongest man in the world want to hide in a corner. He died about five years ago, though. Eaten to death by rats. I helped bury him; what was left of him at least."

The guard stopped talking and peered at Link in the darkness. "Did you see him?" he asked. "I've heard prisoners screaming sometimes, whenever they get put in this cell, and they'll claim to have seen a man in a dark hood."

Link did not reply, but the guard seemed to know Link had seen the ghost, or whatever it was. "Well, you don't have to stay in here any longer, son," the guard said, placing a hand on Link's shoulder, and maneuvering him out of the cell.

The guard turned to his fellow as they led the boy out of the dungeon. "Who put a kid in that cell, anyway?" he muttered. "He looks pretty shaken up." The second guard nodded his agreement.

Accompanied by the two guards, Link walked down the corridors of the castle. They stopped outside an ornate door Link had not seen before. "His Majesty is tired at the moment, so he'll be seeing you in his chambers rather than in the throne room," the guard explained. Link nodded. The guard raised a fist and knocked on the door.

"Who calls?" a female voice asked from within.

"It's me, Darnell. I've brought the boy to see the King," the guard named Darnell called back.

A few moments later, the door opened, revealing a pretty but worn looking young woman with auburn hair cropped off at her chin. For a brief moment, her eyes caught with Darnell's and held his, and then she turned to Link with a gentle smile. "You must be Master Link," she said.

Link blushed slightly. "Yeah," he said.

The woman turned back to the guards. "Thank you, Darnell, Landers. I'll take him from here."

At the woman's indication, Link walked into the room and had to stop his jaw from dropping. He was in the most spacious, most richly decorated bedroom he had ever seen. The bed, placed in the center of the room against the wall, looked big enough to fit four people and still have room, and a giant, crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Rich tapestries, embroidered with the symbol of the Triforce, or with images of the three Goddesses hung on the walls.

The woman shut the door and turned to the boy. She smiled at the look of awe on his face. "It's something, isn't it?" she said. "Just imagine having to clean it every day."

Link looked into the woman's face, and realized she was only three or four years older than him. "Are you a servant?" he asked.

"That's right," she said. "I came to work in the castle when I was thirteen, because my family's poor."

Link felt slightly taken aback. She had only been a year younger than him when she started working as a servant. It seemed strange for someone so young to already have her life set out for her, and it didn't seem to be a very good one.

The young woman watched the boy's face. It was strange, but he seemed horrified by what she had said. Just where had this boy come from, that he was so naïve to the ways of the world? "Hey, don't look so down," she said. "Come on, I'll take you to the King. He's probably getting impatient."

Link frowned at her back as she led him across the room to a second door. "Hey, what's your name?" he suddenly asked.

The woman looked back at him, seeming a little surprised. "I'm Elaine," she told him.

Link blushed again. "Okay, thanks." What had inspired him to ask her that?

Elaine rapped her knuckles softly on the door. "Your Majesty?" she called. "Link is here to see you."

"Send him in," a voice called from the other side.

Elaine opened the door and held it for Link. When he hesitated, she gave him a slight push. "Don't worry," she said. "His Majesty's not too bad."

Link walked into the room and Elaine shut the door behind him. He looked around the room. It was about the same size as the previous room, maybe slightly smaller. It appeared to be a study of sorts, because set beside the window at the back of the room was a large desk covered with books and papers. Behind the desk sat a tall, rather muscular man Link assumed to be the King. His face was bearded and slightly wrinkled, but kind looking. The king looked up from the paper he was scanning over. "Come in," he said, an order, not a request.

Link moved away from the door and closer to the desk, feeling very awkward and unsure of himself. He stopped a few feet away from the desk. What now? Should he bow? Feeling the color rising in his cheeks, Link made an awkward half-attempt at a bow, and nearly lost his balance in the process.

The King smiled, looking a little amused. He leaned back in his chair. "So, there appears to have arisen a bit of a misunderstanding between us," he said.

"Erm, yeah," Link mumbled softly.

The King rose from his chair and walked around the desk to where Link stood, unsure of whether or not to raise his eyes and pointedly staring at the King's shoes. The King held out his hand. Surprised, Link stared at it, and hesitantly raised his own hand. King Daphnes shook the boy's hand firmly. He smiled, and his gray eyes twinkled merrily. "Young Renaldo has explained to me what happened," he said. "I would suggest you not go along with his little schemes in the future. He seems to have his father's knack for getting others into trouble on his account."

Link peered at Daphnes' face, confused. What was the King talking about? Had he gone completely daft? Deciding saying so to the King of Hyrule might cause some problems, Link said, "Sure."

Daphnes let go of Link's hand and strode back to his seat at the desk. "You know, my daughter goes on about you quite a lot," he said, turning his attention back to his papers. He glanced up at Link. "I had forbidden her to see you, but I suppose I'll have to rethink that now. I'll let you inform her yourself. Tomorrow," he added, sending a glance out the window behind him, which was now dark with night.

"Sure," Link said again, not certain what else to say. The King had forbidden Zelda to see him?

"You may go now," King Daphnes said. "If you want, you may spend the night in the castle, or you may go home now."

Link hesitated. "Thanks, but I think I'll go home," he said.

"Very well. I shall expect to see you again tomorrow, then."

Taking this as the signal to go, Link hurried out of the room as fast as he could without seeming rude, relieved to make his escape. Who knew meeting a king could be so suffocating? Elaine was no longer in the bedroom. She had finished her cleaning, Link assumed as he rushed out of the room.

A guard was waiting outside the room to escort Link out of the castle when he came out, and Link gladly followed him out. The guard left him outside the gate to the castle, and Link hurried out into the now quiet streets of Hyrule Castletown. A bright crescent moon hung overhead, illuminating the dark street. Link headed into the room beside the drawbridge, where a guard was slumbering noisily.

Link tapped his shoulder. "Hey," he whispered loudly, feeling like his long lost companion, Navi. "Get up!" When the guard didn't stir, Link gave him a shake. The sleepy man opened his eyes groggily and stared at Link for a moment with an unfocused gaze.

"I need to get outside," Link said, feeling irritated with the man.

"Oh, right," the guard said, stumbling to his feet and letting down the drawbridge. He was obviously still half-asleep, since he hadn't even bothered to make sure Link wasn't trying to let in an army.

Link rolled his eyes. _N__ice to know the safety of Hyrule is in such good hands_, he thought sarcastically. Deciding to let it go, he headed outside and crossed over the drawbridge into Hyrule Field. Pulling out his ocarina, he played Epona's Song once again, and moments later the mare trotted up to him.

Wearily, he pulled himself onto her back, and zoned out while she carried him home. _So much for my perfect day_. Link barely noticed when they reached the entrance to Kokiri Forest, and did not move, until Epona neighed loudly, snapping him back to reality.

"Sorry, Epona," he mumbled half-heartedly, climbing off her back. "Thanks for the ride. I'll see you tomorrow."

The mare snorted, and trotted away. Yawning, Link traipsed over the bridge and to his house, lazily climbing up the ladder. He glanced at Saria's house. There was a lot he needed to tell her. Yawning again, he decided it could wait until morning, and headed into the house to collapse on his bed and fall instantly asleep.

---

Link awoke the next morning to the sound of someone moving noisily around his house. Moaning, he opened his eyes just enough to peer at whoever was making so much noise. Saria was moving around his room, picking up the dirty garments strewn everywhere and throwing them into a heap beside the door. When she heard Link moan, she stopped and turned to face him, hands on her hips.

"Link, you promised me you were going to wash these a week ago. I swear, I can smell the stench from my house," she said, tapping her foot.

"Ugh. Go away," Link mumbled, turning over and hiding his head beneath the blanket.

Saria crossed the room and yanked the blanket off of him. "There. Now, if you don't get up, I'm going to pour cold water on you, and don't think I won't."

Link's eyes shot open immediately, and he hurried into a sitting position. He had no doubt whatsoever that Saria would pour cold water on him. She had nearly done it last time. _Curses. __W__hy did she have to get mad today of all days? __I'__m too tired to deal with this_. He fought the urge to ignore her and just go back to sleep; doing so would be a pretty bad idea. Saria might appear as nothing more than a child, but Link knew better. It was better to stay off her bad side.

"Now, you are going to wash these clothes. _Today_. And I don't want to hear any complaining; you've had all week to do this," Saria was ordering. "And once you're done with that, it won't hurt for you to do a little cleaning. The dust in here must be half an inch thick. And while you're at it…"

As Saria talked, the previous day's occurrences suddenly came back to Link's mind. "Saria, I need to talk to you," he cut her off.

Catching the seriousness of his tone, Saria stopped her rant. She looked up at him, concerned. He only talked like that if it was something really serious. "What is it?"

With a deep breath, Link began to tell Saria about the strange painting, the artist with the initials L.R., and the strange spirit he had encountered in the dungeon.

Saria's face was very serious by the time he had finished his story, and her frown was at its deepest. She pondered over his words. "Link, this sounds pretty serious," she said. "Can you think of anyone who would want to do you or Malon harm?"

Link shook his head. "I've gone over it a thousand times, but I can't come up with anyone, other than Ganondorf, and even if he wasn't sealed in the Sacred Realm, I can't really see him being obsessed with Malon."

At another time, the statement would have seemed funny, but neither Saria nor Link laughed, or even grinned. Saria's frown seemed to deepen even further. "I don't like it. I think we should investigate it, and until then you should be very careful, and keep an eye on Malon."

Link nodded, and Saria turned thoughtful once again. "Do you think King Daphnes might know anything?"

Link was taken aback. "The King?" he repeated. "I don't really think we should bother him with something like this." He didn't like to admit it, but the thought of having to talk with the King again frightened him, even if he had been very nice.

Saria seemed to sense what was going on in his head. She turned her piercing green eyes on him. "Link, this is no time to worry about something like that," she said. "Aren't yours and Malon's lives more important than your silly fears?"

Link felt his face flush. "Yeah, but, still," he mumbled.

Saria didn't take her gaze off of him. "Link, I can't make you do it, but I really do think you should ask the King for help," she said.

"Yeah, I know. Oh crap! Malon!" Link jumped off the bed and hurriedly pulled his boots on. "I'll talk to you later, Saria! Malon's gonna kill me!"

He dashed out of the tree house, leaving Saria to shake her head after him. She stood up and continued gathering his clothes. "Looks like I'm doing this for him again," she mumbled.

---

Rolling the wheelbarrow of fresh hay into the tower, Malon dumped it out in front of the cows, who began munching at it hungrily. Malon only half-focused on what she was doing as she worked through her chores. It was already late morning, and Link still hadn't shown up. Part of her hoped he wouldn't. She couldn't let him know that she had seen him with Zelda, or how much it had bothered her. How was she going to hide it? Unlike most guys she had known, Link always seemed to know when something was wrong. He would definitely notice. Maybe he would think she was just mad at him about blowing her off. She hoped so.

"Ow! Dammit, girl, watch where you're going with that thing," Ingo muttered angrily, glaring at Malon. She had not realized she was walking right towards Ingo until she rammed into his back with wheelbarrow.

"Sorry," she mumbled, too lost in her thoughts to come up with a smart comeback as she normally would, and steered the wheelbarrow around him and into the barn, where she set it against the wall.

Walking outside, she caught a glimpse of Epona's back disappearing out of the ranch. Malon groaned inwardly. She knew exactly where Epona was headed. "Okay, he'll probably be here in about fifteen minutes," she told herself quietly, unconsciously heading toward her room. "Just have to act natural."

In her room, she stripped off her soiled work dress, and splashed water from the basin onto her body, washing off the sweat and dirt. Going to the wardrobe, she grabbed a clean dress and pulled it on over her head, then set off to brushing the tangles out of her hair. Finally deciding it was hopeless, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and headed back outside.

Outside, Malon ran into Ingo once again. "What are you doing? You're supposed to be gathering cucco eggs," he said in his usual annoyed voice.

Malon rolled her eyes. "Do it yourself, grumpy," she said, and walked away. Behind her, she could hear Ingo muttering about "always having to do everything", and rolled her eyes. She bit down the urge to tell him if he hated it so much, why didn't he just leave? Knowing Ingo, he might take her advice, and then she and Talon would be in big trouble. They were already shorthanded as it was.

Malon had just walked into the circular pen built for the horses when she heard familiar hoof beats behind her. Her heart began to pound in her chest as she absentmindedly began stroking the nearest horse. _Stay calm, stay calm_.

The hoof beats stopped a few feet behind her, and Link's voice cried, "Malon! I'm so sorry! Are you mad?" as he ran up to her.

Malon half glanced at him. "Mad? About what?"

"You know, cause I, uh, forgot about yesterday," he stammered, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hmm? That?" Malon shrugged. "I knew you would anyway. I'm not mad."

"You're not? Wait, you did?"

Malon turned to him and stared at his chin, not wanting to look into his eyes. Even though she was nearly two years younger than him, they were almost the same height. "Don't worry about it, okay?" She felt like she was about to start crying again and wanted to get away as quickly as possible. She hated herself for wanting to cry even a little.

Link seemed to have notice the pained look on Malon's face. He peered at her, concerned. "Are you okay? Is there something else bothering you?"

"Nothing's bothering me," she said, a little too hastily. She started to head back for the barn. "I have a lot of chores to do, so I can't really talk right now. Maybe tomorrow, okay?"

"Wait, Malon!" Link called after her. He needed to ask her something. Looking a bit aggravated, she half turned around, still avoiding his gaze.

"Malon, do you know anyone who likes to paint? Someone who might have some kinda weird obsession with you?" Link asked.

For a split second, Link thought he saw a look of terror cross her face, but then it was gone and he could very well have imagined it. "A painter?" she repeated, and shook her head. "No, I don't." Before Link could say anything else, she took off for the barn.

Link sighed and rubbed the back of his head, staring at his boots. She was definitely pissed, even if she claimed not to be. He wondered what else had been bothering her that she was so intent on not telling him about. Could it have something to do with L.R.? He frowned. She probably wasn't going to tell him anything as long as she was still mad at him.

---

Malon dashed up the stairs to her room and shut the door behind her, leaning against it. Her breath came rapidly, and not from the running. Why had Link mentioned a painter? She glanced around the room fearfully, but she was alone. Bending over and resting her hands on her knees, she took slow, steady breaths to calm herself down. Just the memory of that terrible person frightened her. Maybe she should have told Link the truth. She bit her lip.

---

Climbing back on Epona, Link rode to Hyrule Castle, still wondering about Malon. How was he going to get her to stop being mad at him? "I wish I knew how girls' minds work," he muttered to Epona, who just whinnied in response. Link smiled. "I guess that includes you, huh? You definitely won't tell me." He patted the mare's neck.

Once they arrived at the drawbridge, Link headed immediately for the castle, grateful that this time all the guards recognized him and he didn't have any trouble getting inside. In the castle, one of the servants greeted him, and asked his purpose.

"I'm here to see Princess Zelda," Link told the servant.

The servant nodded. "I will go inform Lady Impa. Please wait here," he said, and hurried off to find the Sheikah woman.

Link stood at the entrance awkwardly. He always hated this part of seeing Zelda. Why did everything have to be so formal? They had known each other for four years now. He sighed, and scuffed the toe of his boot on the floor.

---

"Thank you. I will let her know," Impa told the servant, who bowed and scurried away.

Impa headed to Zelda's chambers. She knocked on the door to the bedroom and without waiting for a response, opened it. Zelda sat curled up on the corner of her bed pressed against the wall, leaning against it and staring blankly out the window. Her face was swollen and tear streaked, and she was clutching onto her giant teddy bear.

"Princess, you have a visitor," Impa told her.

"Tell whoever it is I can't see them right now," Zelda said.

"Zelda, that is not an acceptable answer for a princess. Now, I want you to wash your face and come down," Impa said sternly. She left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Her nursemaid gone, Zelda gave an angry sob and buried her face in the teddy bear's furry head. After a few moments of crying, she composed herself, forcing herself to crawl off the bed and walk into the washroom.

Ten minutes later, Zelda appeared at the end of the corridor where Impa was waiting for her. Impa smiled. "Very good. Now, let's go greet your visitor." Zelda shot Impa an angry glare and followed her down the hallway, resisting the urge to pout. She sighed inwardly, wondering who was visiting her anyway.

They came to the entrance to the castle, and Zelda's breath caught. "Link!" she screamed, running down the hallway and flinging her arms around his neck.

Link stumbled backwards under her sudden weight, blushing. Zelda released him and looked happily up into his face. "I thought you were in the dungeon! Oh no, does Daddy know you're here?" She looked around as if expecting her father to come around a corner.

"It's okay. We talked last night, and he said I could come see you today," Link told her.

"Yay!" she squealed, jumping up and down with excitement. "I'm so happy! I thought I was never going to see you again!"

Link rubbed the back of his head. "So…do you think we can go sit in the courtyard or something?"

"Yes, lets! Impa, is it okay?" Zelda turned a pleading gaze to the Sheikah woman. Impa nodded her approval, and Zelda grabbed Link's hand and eagerly pulled him to the courtyard.

"I'm really sorry about getting you arrested," Zelda began once they reached the courtyard. "I didn't think Daddy would take things to such an extreme."

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean it to happen," Link said before she could go on.

Zelda looked into his eyes with hers. Link felt himself blushing again. She was so pretty. "So you're not mad?"

Link rubbed the back of his head. "Course not."

Zelda smiled at him happily, and took his hand, causing Link to blush even more. "I'm so glad I met you, Link," Zelda said.

Link's face was burning now. "Yeah, me too."

Zelda looked up at him and giggled. "Your face is really red," she said, making his flush grow even darker.

They stood hand in hand in silence for a moment, and then Link remembered what he was supposed to be telling Zelda about. Turning to her, he told her the story of his experience in the dungeon.

Zelda sat down on the grass, and stared at the miniature flower bed. "It's almost like Ganondorf all over again," she said, and her voice wavered. She looked up at Link with tears in her eyes. "It's not fair. Why couldn't we just be normal kids?"

Link was shocked. Zelda was crying? What should he do? He didn't know how to handle this. He opened his mouth to say something but faltered. Zelda smiled sadly, letting the tears fall silently. Hesitantly, Link sat down beside her and placed an arm around her shoulder. She leaned her head against his chest and sighed.

After several minutes of crying, Zelda sat up. "Let's try and figure out what to do," she said. "I can ask Daddy what he knows about L.R.. I don't know if he's connected to what happened in the dungeon, but it seems like too much of a coincidence to just ignore. Did you ask Malon if she knows anything about L.R.?"

Link nodded. "Yeah, she said she didn't, but I think she's mad at me, so she might be lying."

"Mad at you? Why?"

Link shrugged. "I dunno. Probably something weird." For some reason, he didn't want to tell Zelda why he thought Malon was mad at him.

Zelda pondered this. "Did you apologize?"

"Yeah. It didn't work."

"Why don't you ask Ren? He's pretty good with stuff like that. He always knows how to get me to stop being angry with him," Zelda suggested.

"All right," Link said. It sounded like a better idea than blindly trying to get Malon to stop being mad at him. "Where can I find him?"

"He has a manor not too far from here, but I think he's staying at the castle right now," Zelda said. "Come on, I'll take you to his room."

---

Ren sat at the small desk in his bedroom, staring at the stacks of papers before him. He rested his throbbing head in his hand. He had been going over these tax papers for hours, and still seemed to have made no progress at all. A knock sounded at the door, and he looked up, taking a moment to comprehend what the knock meant. "Come in," he said.

The door opened, and Zelda's face poked in. He smiled, and stood up to open the door for her. "Hello, Ren!" she said brightly. "I brought you a visitor!" Link walked into the room behind her.

"Hello again, Link," Ren said, holding out his hand for Link to shake. Link took it, smiling as well. "What brings you here today?"

"Link is having some troubles, and he was wondering if you could help him," Zelda said.

Ren looked unsure. "Zelda, I'm really busy right now," he said.

Zelda pouted. "You're always busy. Please, just this once?"

Ren smiled, and laughed a little. "All right, for my favorite cousin, just this once."

"Yay!" Zelda exclaimed. She looked around the room and frowned. "Let's go out to Hyrule Field. Daddy won't mind if you're with me."

Ren chuckled. "Okay, okay. We can go to Hyrule Field."

Zelda squealed and turned to Link. "Did you hear that? We get to go to Hyrule Field!" Link smiled, but before he could say anything, Zelda had grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the room. Laughing to himself, Ren followed behind them.

---

"Actually, Zelda, Impa is having a seamstress come in today, to fit you for your ball gown. I think you need to stay in the castle today," Daphnes said.

"What?" his daughter cried, giving him the "it's not fair" look. "Daddy! That's not fair!"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but that's how it is." Daphnes was not going to waver on this, Zelda could tell already.

She pouted, giving her father the most pleading look she could muster. King Daphnes took one look at her and looked away, resting his forehead on his fingertips. "Zelda, don't start that on me," he sighed. "Just…go to your room."

Zelda stomped her foot on the ground, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine," she said, turning on her heel and stomping away. The King let out a sigh and shook his head. Zelda stopped at Ren and Link, who were awkwardly avoiding looking at her and staring at the floor. "I have to go to my room, so I guess you two can just go on without me," she said, and before either of them could say anything, she stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Link looked at Ren. "So, does that mean we should go?" Link asked.

Ren laughed, and looked up at the ceiling. "Actually, in my experience, that means that if we go without her, she's going to get mad at us, and if we don't go without her, she's going to get mad at us."

Link stared at him. "So no matter what we do, she's going to get mad at us?"

The older boy nodded. "Yep. That's pretty much how it goes."

Link sighed. "Girls are so confusing."

"Yes, I agree," Ren said. "But never mind, why don't we just go out to town? I don't know what we do in the field anyway."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Link agreed.

The two boys stopped at a restaurant in Hyrule Castletown, taking a seat at one of the shaded, outside tables. "What did you need to talk about?" Ren asked. Link opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, a waiter came to their table. "I'll have a bottle of _Unali_," Ren told the waiter. "Link, do you want anything?" Link shook his head.

"Will that be all, Sirs?" the waiter asked.

"Yes, thank you," Ren said. The waiter left to fulfill the order. "Now, go on."

Link explained the whole situation with Malon, and Ren nodded knowingly. Just as Link finished his story, the waiter returned, carrying a bottle of deep red wine and a glass.

"Would you like anything else?" the waiter asked.

"No, we're fine. Thank you," Ren said. He poured himself a glass of the wine. "Have you ever tried it?" he asked Link.

"No, I've never had wine," Link replied.

"Here, try some," Ren said, pushing the glass toward Link.

Link picked it up and peered in the glass. A little hesitantly, he took a sip of it. He grimaced, and immediately pushed the glass away. "Ugh."

Ren laughed, taking the glass back. "I don't really care for it myself. I drink it more out of habit than anything else."

"It's disgusting," Link said, resisting the urge to spit out the lingering taste, and swallowing hard to get rid of it.

Ren laughed again, then turned his attention to Link's problem. "So, girl troubles," he said. "All right, the best way to get to a girl's heart is to give her a gift."

"You mean like flowers or something?" Link asked.

Ren shook his head. "You can't give her something like flowers or chocolate; you have to give her something she really wants." He leaned back in his chair. "Now think, what does this Malon really want?"

Link pondered this for a moment, going through his memories. He had known Malon for a long time. What was something he knew she really wanted? The memory of a certain gossip stone popped up. "Her knight in shining armor to sweep her off her feet," he said.

"That's good," Ren said. "I think we can work with that."

---

Malon sat against the wall outside of the barn, watching the cuccos run around her. Epona had trotted off again, meaning Link was now traveling somewhere. She threw a handful of corn seeds from the bag beside her to the poultry, watching them eagerly run around, pecking up the seeds. Ingo walked by her, casting her an angry glance and muttering as he past. Malon glanced at the sky. It was nearly sixteen o' clock; Epona had been gone awhile. What was Link doing anyway?

As she watched the sun move lower and lower, she heard hoof beats behind her. She stood up to greet Epona, and her mouth nearly dropped open. Link sat astride Epona, dressed in a rich outfit of white, blue and gold. His sword hung in a silver sheath at his side, and his hair was abnormally smooth, and he looked regal and noble as he galloped up to her side.

Link slid off of the mare, and kneeled before Malon. "My lady," he said, "I have come for thee." He held out his hand for Malon to take.

Malon could feel her heart beating wildly. How did he know? She almost expected a wind to blow her hair and dress dramatically. Feeling as though she were in a dream, she placed her hand in Link's. He stood up, smiling at her, and helped her mount before climbing up behind her. "Hiya!" he shouted, and Epona galloped out of the ranch.


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N: Woot! Third chapter! It's not quite as long as the others. Oh, thank you again to Truth Questor for pointing out my rather...questionable typos. I nearly died of laughter at the "take off your head" thing!! Thank you also for your encouraging words, and the same to Risika Tellerman. Reviews really do mean a lot to me._

Chapter 3:

Malon laughed. The wind blew her hair out behind her as she and Link galloped across Hyrule Field on Epona's back. "Link, this is amazing!" she half-shouted, half-laughed. She felt as though her heart would float away any moment; she was certain this would be the happiest moment of her life.

Link smiled, feeling relieved that Ren's plan had worked. Maybe now she would tell him whatever she knew about L.R., he was certain she knew something. He did not think he had imagined the look of terror he had seen on her face, even if it had only been for less than a second. Epona galloped to Lake Hylia, and they came to a stop beside the crystal clear water. Link slid off Epona's back and held up his hand to help Malon down.

She could easily have climbed down on her own, but Malon happily took Link's outstretched hand. Once her feet hit the grassy bank, Malon beamed up at Link. "Link, what's all this for?" she asked.

Link smiled back at her, glad to see her so happy. If it had been Zelda, he probably would have been dying of embarrassment right now, but he never had that problem around Malon. He was always more comfortable with Malon than anyone else, even Saria and Zelda. That was why he considered her his best friend.

"This is my way of saying sorry about yesterday," he told her. "Do you forgive me?"

Malon grinned happily. A tug at her heart told her this didn't mean anything; Link still liked Zelda more than her, and he probably always would. She ignored it. Right now, nothing else mattered except that she was happier than she had been in a long time. "Of course I do," she said. She didn't even care about the kiss anymore, because right now, Link was devoting all his time to her, and no one else.

"Oh, I brought some food and a blanket. I thought it would be fun to have a picnic," Link said, taking off the pack he had laid across Epona's back and setting it on the ground.

Malon knelt down beside him to help him unpack it and lay everything out. "Remember when we used to beg my Dad to let us come down here and have a picnic all the time?"

Link laughed. "Yeah. He'd always go on and on about how we were too young to go off on our own, just to wind up letting us go anyway."

Malon laughed as well, and took a seat on the spread out blanket. "Yep. He's always doing stuff like that!"

The two children spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and talking about their shared happy memories while they ate fish sandwiches. Malon smiled to herself. It seemed like forever since she and Link had this much fun together. Lately, it seemed like all he ever wanted to talk about was Zelda.

"Look, Link! Isn't it beautiful?" Malon pointed at the sky. Shades of red, orange, and pink streaked the sky as the sun slowly set. Link joined her in watching the sunset, the two of them admiring the natural beauty.

Malon looked at Link, sitting across from her on the blanket, watching the sky with the awe of a child seeing its first sunset. She smiled. Despite everything he had told her about, beneath the façade of Hero, Link was still just a normal kid. It made her happy. She sometimes wondered if maybe Link found her childish and immature, because he had already been through so much, but looking at him now, she could tell he would never think something like that. If anything, he probably enjoyed the innocence he had lost so long ago.

The girl's smile faded. Something had been pressing on the back of her mind all day, but she had pushed it aside. Now, she figured, she had probably better just tell him and get it over with, even if she didn't really want to bring that up again. She took a deep breath.

"Hey, Link?" Link looked at her. Malon looked at her hands folded in her lap, and moved her fingers around. "You remember earlier, when you asked me if I know someone who might have an obsession with me? Someone who likes to paint?" Link nodded, all of his attention focused on her now. Malon stretched her fingers out, then folded them once more. She looked up at Link. "I might know someone."

"Who?" Link asked, watching her. He felt scared, and at the same time, he wanted to find out everything he could about L.R.

"It was about two years ago," Malon said. "I was doing a delivery for my Dad to someone in Hyrule Castletown. His name was Ladarius. He was very kind. He paid me, then asked me if I would like something to eat or drink. I told him no thank you, but he insisted, so I stayed and had tea. He talked to me, told me stories, asked me about myself. I was a little hesitant at first, but he really was nice, and I found I liked him a lot. We became pretty close friends. Sometimes he would come to visit me, and I would visit him."

"What did he look like?" Link interrupted.

Malon's brow creased. "Look like?" She shook her head. "I don't know. He always wore a hood over his face. I asked him about it once, but he just said he had his reasons, and I decided not to pry."

Link frowned at his feet. "I was afraid of that," he mumbled to himself.

Malon raised her eyebrows, but continued with her story. "One day, he told me he had something to show me. He led me into a room I had not noticed before. The door was designed so that it blended in with the wall. The room was empty except for a desk and an easel covered with a cloth. He brought me into the room, and took the cloth off the easel. It was a painting of me. Not the best painting, but I could still tell it was supposed to be me. I was flattered. He said I had inspired him, and ever since he first met me, he had always wanted to paint me. Then he took me out of the room and locked the door behind him, and I went home.

"A few weeks later, I went to visit him again, and he said he had something else to show me. He brought me to the room again, but it wasn't empty as it had been before. Almost an entire wall was covered in paintings, and all of them were of me in different settings, but there was one that disturbed me the most. It was a picture of me, only a little older. I was wearing a beautiful white dress, like a wedding dress, and he was standing beside me. I was only a child at the time; I didn't know what to think. I only knew that I was frightened of the painting, and of all the other paintings that had me in them.

I think he sensed that I was frightened. He told me he knew I was still young, and that he wasn't too much older than me, but that he felt a bond between us that he had never felt with anyone else before. He said that when I came of age, he wanted to marry me. It scared me. I wasn't very old, but I knew I didn't want to marry him, and I told him so. He got angry. I could almost feel the hatred and anger building up inside him. I ran away, and after that I never saw him again."

She looked at Link. His hands were clenched into fists, and he looked scared and angry. He stared into her eyes. "Why didn't you ever tell anyone? Why didn't you tell me?"

Malon looked away, feeling abashed. "I don't know. I didn't want to. I just wanted to forget about it."

Link bit his lip so hard it drew blood. He stared at the still waters of the lake for several moments, and then stood up. He turned back to Malon. "It's getting late. I should probably take you home," he said.

Malon nodded and stood up. In silence they gathered and repacked the things, and then climbed onto Epona. "Hey, Link?" Malon said tentatively, but he was too lost in thought to hear her, and she did not try again. They said nothing the entire ride back to Lon Lon Ranch.

Link stopped outside Malon's house, and helped her down. "Malon," he said, his tone serious. She looked up at him, scared to meet his eyes, but he held her gaze anyway. "I need you to come to the castle with me tomorrow. Do you think you can?"

"The castle?" Malon repeated. "Are you sure? I mean, is it okay?"

Link nodded. "It'll be fine, Zelda will make sure of that. This is serious."

Malon watched his face in the dark of twilight. It was times like these when she knew that the stories he told her were true, when she could see the experience and wisdom of many long years beyond his own written across his face, and in his tone. She nodded.

"Good," Link said, mounting Epona. "I'll come to pick you up tomorrow morning."

"Okay," she said.

"Be careful, okay?" Malon nodded, and with a wave goodbye, Link rode out of the ranch.

---

Link was standing in a dungeon much like the one he had been placed in at Hyrule Castle. The damp, dark walls smelt of mold and death. His heart hammered wildly in his chest. He looked around, expecting something to appear out of the shadows and grab him at any moment. He could sense something dark and terrifying, but he could not see it.

Someone was coming, he could hear it, footsteps down that long dark hallway, and the sound of something being dragged across the dungeon floor. The person came into Link's view, and he gasped in horror.

"Malon!" he shouted.

Her body hung before him, limp, bruised, and bloody. She looked deathly pale, and her head lolled to one side. Someone held her arm roughly, dragging her across the ground, someone in a dark hood that covered his face in shadows. Link could almost feel the cold, sadistic grin spreading across the hooded person's face.

"What have you done to her?" Link demanded, his fists clenched angrily before him.

"What have I done?" the person said in a low, raspy voice that was all too familiar. "I have done nothing. It is you that have done this to her. Just look." The person raised an arm, and pointed at Malon's body. Link's eyes followed the hand, and he saw his own sword plunged deep into Malon's heart.

Link screamed and jerked awake. He was lying in his bed in the Kokiri Forest. Outside, stars twinkled in the dark night sky. Beads of sweat dripped down his face and soaked his body so that his clothing clung to his skin. He sat up, breathing hard, his heart pounding. The nightmare hung fresh and clear in the front of his memory. He rested his head in his hands, willing his breathing and his heart to slow. Why did he have that horrible nightmare? What did it mean?

He took a few moments to calm down, then slid off the bed and went outside. Climbing down the ladder, he quietly headed for Saria's house. "Saria?" he called softly, and when she did not reply, he stuck his head in the door. Saria lay peacefully asleep on her bed, her dreams not rendered with terrifying nightmares. Link quietly tiptoed into the house.

"Saria," he said again, a little more loudly this time.

She stirred and opened her eyes. Turning her face, she blinked at Link in the darkness. When she realized he was standing there, she sat up. "Link, what's wrong?" she asked.

Link told her about his conversation with Malon earlier, and about the nightmare. "I was going to tell you tomorrow," he said, "but then I had that nightmare. What do you think it means?"

Saria thought about it for a moment, then searched for Link's eyes in the darkness. "Link, in the past, you had dreams that were actually visions, right?" Link did not reply. He was afraid she would come to this conclusion, the same conclusion he had reached. Saria hesitated. "It's really horrible, but what if, well, what if it's actually a vision?"

Link shuddered. Saria had just spoken the words he had been so afraid to hear. How could it be true, though? "But Saria, that would mean that I, I mean, I could never do something like that." He choked on the words as he uttered them. Was it possible that he would ever actually…?

Saria sighed deeply. "Oh, Link, I don't know," she whispered. "I could never imagine that you could do something like that to anyone." She looked up at him. "Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it was just brought on by everything that's happened in the past couple of days. That makes more sense anyway."

Link nodded, although he knew she believed it just as much as he did. Saria stopped for a moment; she seemed to be searching for something to say, to fill the awful silence. "Let's just try to figure everything out before we jump to conclusions," she said finally.

"Okay," Link agreed.

"You said you think this Ladarius Malon told you about is probably L.R., and you think he also might be the spirit that you met in the dungeon," Saria relayed Link's theory back to him, and he nodded. "But that guard said that man in the dungeon died five years ago," she continued. She looked at Link for his opinion. He just shrugged.

"Although," Saria said, "I don't think it can be just a coincidence. What I don't understand is how Malon could have met someone two years ago who supposedly died five years ago. And you said the guard who told you the story also helped bury that man, right?"

"Yeah," Link said. "And by what he said, I don't think there's anyway that man could have been faking."

Saria pondered it for a moment. "We really need to find out what's going on. I think for now, it's best if we just stick to the original plan, to find out everything we can. Until we find out if that Ladarius character really is L.R., we can't figure anything out. We also need to try and find out who that man in the dungeon was, and why he was put there in the first place."

Link nodded his agreement. "I'm taking Malon to see Zelda tomorrow. We'll explain what's been happening to her then, and maybe we can find out something from there."

"Good," Saria said. "Now, let's go back to bed. You're going to need a lot of rest if you're going to be dealing with Zelda and Malon together tomorrow."

Link stared at her, confused. "Why? What do you mean?"

Saria smiled and shook her head. "Never mind. Just go to bed, I'm tired."

Begrudgingly, Link obeyed. He went back to his own house and crawled into bed, but could not go to sleep. He lay awake for hours, tossing and turning, images from the nightmare playing across his mind. It was nearly dawn before he finally fell asleep.

---

Saria climbed up the ladder to Link's house a little after nine the next morning, and peered into the doorway. Link still lay fast asleep. For once, she hesitated at waking him up. She doubted he had gotten any sleep last night, but had probably lay awake thinking about that dream all night. Unfortunately, it was vital that Link get up early today, so that he and Malon could go talk to Zelda. They needed to figure out what was going on before it was too late, and Malon or anyone else got hurt.

She shook his shoulder gently. "Link, wake up," she said. "You need to take Malon to go see Princess Zelda, remember?"

Link groaned, but sat up with a sigh and rubbed his eyes. "Thanks Saria," he said, not looking at her but instead staring at the blanket. "Think you can wait outside while I change?"

"Okay," Saria said, and went out onto the balcony.

Link changed into clean clothes, then joined her. "I guess I'll be going then."

"All right. I'll see you later. Make sure you tell me everything when you get back."

Link nodded and climbed down the ladder. Saria watched his back sadly as he headed for the exit. She felt so sorry for him, and for Zelda. It just didn't seem right that they couldn't have a normal childhood, and now poor Malon had somehow gotten dragged into all this. She just wished she could be more of a help, but it was impossible since she was forbidden to leave the forest.

---

Link led Malon down the path to the castle. The guard greeted Link and opened the gate. "I always forget how big this place is," Malon said, staring at the humongous castle before them.

"Yeah," Link agreed absentmindedly.

Malon studied him. It wasn't like Link to be this lost in his thoughts. Was he still anxious over what she had told him yesterday, or had something else happened? She pursed her lips, wishing he could bother to tell her what was going on his head every once and awhile. Wasn't that what best friends were supposed to be for? She frowned. _Or maybe he only tells Zelda what__'__s bothering him_, she thought bitterly.

Realizing what she was thinking, she mentally shook herself. This was no time to start getting jealous over Zelda again. Whatever was bothering Link, he was obviously planning on telling both of them, and since it seemed to be pretty important, she would just have to get over her jealousy for the present. After about five minutes, they reached the entrance to the castle. The two guards recognized Link, but they seemed unsure about Malon. Link assured them that Zelda would see both of them, and they relented and allowed them inside.

Link could tell by the look on Malon's face that she was just as amazed by the inside of Hyrule Castle as he had been. He smiled a little, until Malon's limp, bloody body, plunged through with his sword, flashed across his mind once again. He felt sick. He wanted to get far away from Malon, because it was too dangerous for her to be anywhere near him, but he resisted. He knew Malon needed to find out what was going on, for her own safety.

The servant who had run to inform Zelda of her visitors returned, saying with a bow that the Princess was on her way to greet them, and to please be patient. Link nodded, and Malon just looked nervous and frightened. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the blond princess came hurrying down the corridor to greet them. Link could tell by the pinched look on her face that she was angry, but she seemed to be holding it in for now.

"Good morning, Link," she said curtly, giving him a slight nod of the head. She turned to Malon, and a falsely sweet smile spread across her face but did not reach her eyes, which remained tinged with jealousy.

"You must be Malon," Zelda said.

Malon hurried into a clumsy curtsy. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness," she stammered awkwardly.

Zelda nodded again in reply. "And you as well."

Link peered at Zelda curiously, wondering about the abnormally formal behavior. He had thought she would be thrilled to spend time with someone from outside the castle other than him, but apparently he was wrong. Maybe she was acting this way because she was mad? He sighed inwardly. It seemed like there always had to be someone mad at him. Well, Zelda would get over it once they started discussing L.R.; she would have to.

"This way," Zelda said, turning and leading them down the corridor.

Link and Malon followed. As they continued through the castle, Link began to feel slightly confused. "Aren't we going to the courtyard?" he asked.

Zelda shot him a glare over her shoulder, much to Link's surprise. "I thought we would use one of the castle rooms today," she said.

"Oh, okay," Link mumbled, even more confused than before.

Malon chewed on her lip as Zelda led them through the castle. Link seemed utterly befuddled as to what Zelda was so upset about, but Malon had a feeling she knew. She had expected Zelda to behave a little more maturely though, all things considered. Zelda _was_ supposed to be the Sage of Wisdom, according to Link's stories. Then again, maybe this was her way of behaving maturely. Princess Zelda seemed to have her own way of doing things.

Zelda finally led them into a bedroom. It seemed to be one of the lesser used rooms in the castle, since its contents were covered in a fine layer of dust, as though it was only cleaned perhaps once a month. The princess sat gracefully down onto one of the two chairs in the room, and indicated for Link to sit in the one beside her. Left with no other choices, Malon sat cautiously on the bed, feeling awkward and a little unsure of herself. She and Zelda looked at each other, and the tension in the room was quite apparent as they looked into one another's eyes.

In a condescending manner, Zelda turned away from Malon and looked at Link instead. "Well?" she said.

Link looked awkwardly between the two girls, then gave up trying to figure out what was going on. "I think Malon might have met L.R.," he told Zelda.

Zelda swallowed and glanced at the redhead. She couldn't help feeling jealous of her, but she was trying her best not to completely lose it in front of the poor girl, who looked nervous and scared. Zelda suddenly felt a little bad about how she was behaving. "How so?" she asked, trying to sound a little less haughty and not certain if she succeeded. It was taking almost all of her will to stay calm.

Malon noticed that the princess sounded like she was trying to be a bit nicer with this last question, which was directed toward Malon. She took a deep breath, and tried to force a smile, then repeated the story she had told to Link.

Zelda contemplated the girl's story. It was frightening, and she definitely thought Ladarius was probably L.R. "Malon, did you ever find out Ladarius' surname?" she asked. Malon shook her head. Zelda turned to Link. "Have you told her anything yet?"

"Not yet," Link replied.

"What haven't you told me yet?" Malon asked, looking at Link.

Link told Malon the story about the painting he had seen in the castle, and what Zelda had told him about the artist. He proceeded to tell her about his experience with the hooded man in the dungeon, and as he continued, her face began to grow pale with fright. By the time Link had finished with the story, she was shaking, and her eyes were wide.

"Link, do you think it's really possible that Ladarius is the same person you met in the dungeon?" Zelda asked once Link was finished. "Didn't the guard you met say he had died five years ago?"

"I don't know," Link said. "Saria pointed out the same thing, but it just seems like too much of a coincidence."

"It's definitely the same person," Malon broke in. Link and Zelda looked at her. "The way you described him is exactly how I felt the last time I saw him. He's the same person. I'm almost positive of it."

"It doesn't make sense though. How could he have died five years ago if Malon met him two years ago?" Zelda wondered, pointing out the same issue that Saria had pointed out the night before. She thought about it for a moment. "Maybe he only made it look like he had died."

"But the guard said when he helped bury him, he was definitely dead," Link protested.

"There are other ways to fake a death than just pretending to be dead," Zelda said. "The guard said the body had been eaten by rats. If that's so, then it would have been easy for him to switch clothes with someone, and no one would ever know the body wasn't his. As for the spirit you saw, Link, there are magics that can be used to show a physical image to a person, as I'm sure you learned from Phantom Ganon."

"That could be it!" Link said. "What do you think Malon?"

Malon shrugged. She still looked a bit pale. "It does seem like something he would do."

Zelda nodded. "I believe that has to be what happened. There's no other way to explain it." The other two nodded in agreement, and Zelda continued. "Now that we've decided that he's not really dead, we only have to find him. Malon, do you still remember where his house was?"

Malon nodded, catching on. "I can show Link where it is!"

"Wait a minute!" Link interrupted, and the two girls turned to him with questioning looks. "Shouldn't we be trying figure out what he's planning to do, and when?"

"I don't think that's too hard," Zelda said. "Malon, are you thirteen yet?" Malon shook her head. "When is your birthday?" Zelda asked.

"Kokisebesh seventh," Malon told her.

"Traditionally, a girl's coming of age, when she is eligible to be married, is when she turns thirteen. The practice has died down somewhat, but girls can still be married as early as thirteen," Zelda explained. "I think Ladarius may be planning on trying to force Malon to marry him when she turns thirteen."

"Can he do that?" Link asked, looking shocked.

Malon nodded. "It was the first thought I had when you mentioned him," she said.

"But that means we only have…" Link counted on his fingers. "A little less than four weeks."

Zelda and Malon nodded. "Possibly less, since he may be planning on kidnapping her beforehand," Zelda said.

"Let's get started right away then!" Link cried, jumping up out of the chair, his fists clenched. "I'll kill that bastard before I let him lay a hand on Malon."

Malon blushed, looking embarrassed and happy at the words. Zelda frowned at Malon's pink cheeks. Zelda wanted so badly to tell Malon that Link didn't like _her_ that way, but she bit her tongue. Now was not the time for jealousy. "You're right," Zelda said, standing up as well. "Malon, do you think you can show us where the house is right now?" she asked the wall.

"Okay," Malon said, standing up along with the other two. She was terrified to be going to that house again, but she knew she would have to this time, for the sake of her own safety.

"Zelda, do you think I can talk to you alone first?" Link asked.

"Of course," Zelda said. She looked at Malon. "I guess we can go out in the hall."

Link nodded and followed her out of the room. She shut the door behind them, and turned to him. "What is it?"

Link took a deep breath to steady his pounding heart. He could feel himself beginning to break out in a cold sweat. With some difficulty, he told Zelda about the nightmare.

Zelda's face was one of horror and pity. "Link! That's awful!" she exclaimed. "You don't think it could be a vision, do you?"

"I don't know. I hope not," Link said quietly. He looked into her face, and Zelda could see he was on the verge of tears. It shocked and worried her.

"Don't worry, Link," she said, trying to sound reassuring. "It was probably just a silly nightmare, and nothing more. Besides, if Ladarius wants to marry her, I really doubt that he's going to kill Malon."

"But I was the one who killed her," Link said, almost angrily. "Not Ladarius, not anyone else. _Me_."

Zelda placed a hand on his arm. "You don't know that. It was your sword, but you never saw yourself actually killing her. Maybe Ladarius wanted you to have that dream, because he knew it would make you doubt yourself. If he can use enough magic to make a phantom clone of himself, I'm sure he has the ability to do something. Don't let it get to you, all right?"

Zelda gave Link a reassuring smile, and turned to go back into the room. Link watched her back. Was he just imagining it, or had she matured within the last couple of hours? It was almost like she had returned to the Zelda he had known before she sent him back to his childhood, instead of the cheerful, easily excited girl he had grown to know in the past several years. Did being put in a situation like this bring out a personality she had buried under the persona of a normal girl?

"Link, snap out of it!" Zelda yelled, waving her hand in front of Link's face. Link came out of his thoughts, and stared at Zelda, and Malon behind her.

"Come on, we're going to sneak out of the castle and go find Ladarius' house," Malon said.

---

"Sneaking out of the castle is kinda hard, but it's a lot of fun," Malon commented as the three of them walked through Hyrule Castletown.

Zelda had changed into a different dress, so as not to give away her royal status. The dress she wore now was light blue, and of a much simpler design than most of her dresses, so she looked like a normal girl instead of the princess of an entire kingdom.

"We know. We've done it before," Zelda said.

The tension between the two girls had eased slightly, but it was still present. Malon fought the urge to slap the snobby princess. Instead, she consented herself with a biting comeback. Mustering up the haughtiest tone she could manage, she said to the princess, "Of course I know that! Link tells me _everything_."

Zelda crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the redhead. Link sighed. How long were they going to keep this up? It was giving him a headache. He wasn't even sure why they were acting this way. As far as he knew, they had no reason to hate each other as much as they seemed to. He had expected them to get along really well, and yet they seemed to have been fighting nonstop for the past half hour.

Malon suddenly stopped, the blood draining slowly from her face. She pointed at the door to a house Link recognized as a door he had never been able to open during his travels through time. "That's it," she whispered hoarsely.

Link and Zelda exchanged glances. Link approached the house cautiously, and peered into the window. Inside, the house was dark, and cobwebs lined the window frame. He stood back, and looked at the two girls. "It doesn't look like anyone lives here," he told them.

Zelda walked up to the door and gently tried to turn the handle. It didn't budge. "It's locked," she said, stepping away, and also peering into the window.

Hesitantly, Malon joined the other two, and looked into the dark window. "Couldn't we break in?" she asked cautiously. Link and Zelda stared at her. She shrugged. "We could break one of the back windows and climb through."

"It's not a bad idea, actually," Zelda said, not much to Link's surprise. She glanced at the crowded streets. "We'd have to do it at night though, so we're less likely to get caught."

"Aren't there guards out here at night, though?" Malon asked, and Link nodded.

Zelda thought about this issue. "Maybe we could do something to do distract them."

"We could set off some bombs," Link suggested.

"Better yet, we can use Bombchus," Malon said. "That way, we can hide while we set them off so we don't risk getting caught."

Zelda nodded vigorously, and Link could tell by the look in her eyes that she was starting to get excited by this new scheme. Why had he made that suggestion again? The two girls, despite having hated each other not even five minutes ago, were now huddled together, planning excitedly. Link shook his head. Girls confused him way too much.

---

Link cringed when he heard a wolf howl, signaling that it was time for them to put their plan into action. The three of them were now in Zelda's bedroom, dressed in all black clothes and carrying bombs and Bombchus in their pockets. Zelda had gone to bed early, pretending to be sick. Link and Malon had spent the afternoon hastily hiding under her bed or in her closet whenever someone would come into the room. Impa thought they had gone home hours ago, when Zelda started feeling 'sick'.

The plan was that they would sneak back out of the castle as soon as the sun went down, and head for town. Before they reached the town though, they would climb up the vine wall along the path. Link would set off one of the bombs, distracting the guards while the girls made a run for town. He would stay behind to make sure they made it all right, and then follow behind, setting off another bomb if he needed to.

They would then hide in the alley on the opposite side of town as the house, send a Bombchu in the direction of the guards, then sneak around the back of the alley to the other side, and break into the house.

"Hurry up, Link!" Zelda said. She and Malon were at the door, waiting for Link to quit stalling and join them.

"Yeah, yeah," Link muttered, walking over to the door. "You don't have to be a decoy."

"Link, you're scared, aren't you?" Malon whispered as they snuck out into the corridor, quietly shutting the door behind them. Zelda had placed pillows under the covers on her bed, so it looked like she was sleeping.

"I'm not!" Link cried defensively, a little too loudly.

"Shh!" Zelda hissed.

"Yes you are. I can tell," Malon whispered back to him. Link opened his mouth to say something in reply, but Zelda shot a glare at him, and he quickly shut it. Malon giggled silently.

They snuck through the dark castle to the courtyard, then proceeded to sneak out in the normal way. Getting past the gate was easy, and the second part of their plan began. Taking turns, Zelda going first since it would be the worst if she got caught, they scaled the vines on the wall. Link ran closer to the gate, and pulled out a bomb. Hesitating slightly, he lit the fuse, then threw it on the ground and quickly ducked behind the Gossip Stone.

He heard the guard standing at the gate curse under his breath, and run several feet away from the bomb, just before it exploded. The guards standing at the entrance to Hyrule Castletown heard the explosion, and came running to find out what had happened. Link looked at the two girls crouched low on the ground a few feet away, and motioned for them to go.

"Someone threw it from up there!" the first guard was yelling, and Link could hear them running right under his hiding path.

He glanced at the girls to make sure they had safely made it to the town. One of them had gotten her foot caught in a vine, and was struggling to set it free with the help of the other. _Hurry up you two!_ Link thought, watching them. The girl with her foot caught suddenly managed to get it free, and felt backwards with a shriek.

Link wanted to slap his forehead. He heard one of the guards say, "Who's there?", and they started to run in the direction of the girls.

Link shot to his feet. "Aah! I'm a cucco!" he started yelling, running around the cliff, waving his arms wildly.

"What the—?" a guard exclaimed, staring at Link. "Hey, you! Get down from there!"

The three guards ran back in Link's direction. Acting quickly, Link took off running in the direction of the castle, still on top of the wall. _What the hell am __I__ doing?_ he wondered as he ran. The guards hastily opened the gate and ran behind him, yelling. Many of the other guards had noticed the commotion, and come to see what was going.

Link grabbed his last bomb out of his pocket, and lit it. He only had one chance at this. Taking aim as best he could while still running, he threw it. He heard the bomb explode, and saw pieces of rock fly into the air.

_Yes_! He jumped as he came to the space, landing behind the sign, and quickly scurried into the small opening where a boulder had once been. He heard the guards run past him, yelling to each other about some crazy kid who thought he was a cucco running around throwing bombs. Apparently, they hadn't realized what he had done. He breathed a sigh of relief, and crawled back out of the hole.

"Come on, let's go," he said, feeling very irritated with the two of them.

Still giggling, the girls followed him as he headed for the house, but as they came nearer, they stopped giggling, and an eerie silence fell over them. They quietly moved to the side of the house, out of view of anyone coming down either of the paths. A single window was set into the wall. Drawing his sword and signaling for the girls to move back, Link jammed the blade into the glass, shattering it and sending it flying everywhere. For a second they cringed, afraid one of the guards might have returned and heard it, but no one came. Doing the best he could, Link cleared out the jagged glass still remaining, then climbed carefully into the rectangular hole. He turned to help the girls through.

Once they were all inside, the three looked at their surroundings. The inside of the house was small. A table and chair were placed in the center, and against the walls sat a small bed, an oven, and a bookshelf. The walls were undecorated. Thick layers of dust covered everything, and as they moved, they kicked the dust up into their air, causing them to cough and sputter, and making their eyes water.

"It looks exactly the same," Malon whispered, her voice shaking slightly.

Zelda lit the orb of light, and it hovered in front of her, illuminating the small room, and casting dark, eerie shadows on the floors and walls. Unconsciously, the three huddled close together as they moved to the back of the house, the small orb lighting their way. They walked along the back wall, and near the far right, Malon made a small coughing noise, and Link and Zelda saw the hinges of a door, carefully camouflaged to blend in with the wall.

Link looked from Zelda to Malon. With a deep breath he said, "Well, here it goes," and reached for the handle.

* * *

_A/N: Since this chapter's a bit short, I'm including the calendar I created for Hyrule. It's based off of words in various Hylian dictionaries found online._

Months:  
(Spring)  
Farosebesh (32 days)  
Kokisebesh (31 days)  
Dekusebesh (30 days)

(Summer)  
Dinsebesh (32 days)  
Goronsebesh (31 days)  
Gerusebesh (30 days)  
Subrosebesh (32 days)

(Autumn)  
Trofashsebesh (30 days)  
Sekasebesh (30 days)  
Hilansebesh (31 days)

(Winter)  
Nayrusebesh (31 days)  
Zoersebesh (30 days)  
Tokesebesh (30 days)

Days:  
Shikechi  
Zenjachi  
Dovolchi  
Morachi  
Lisatchi  
Seahchi  
Keachi


	5. Chapter 4

_A/N: Yay! I finally got ch4 uploaded! does a happy dance  
WARNING: This chapter contains some disturbing scenes. Those who may be offended are advised not to read._

Chapter 4:

Link turned the handle, but it did not move. "I think it's locked," he whispered.

Zelda turned to Malon. "Is there a key?" she asked.

Malon nodded. "He always kept it in his pocket though," she said.

"So basically, we have no way of getting in," Link moaned.

Zelda shook her head, and began fidgeting with her hair. From her hair, she withdrew a pin. "We can just pick the lock," she said. She opened the pin and stuck it into the keyhole of the door, pressing her ear close to the lock as she moved the pin around inside. She heard a faint click and took out the pin. "Now it should open."

Link tried the handle again, and this time the door swung slowly open. "Neat!" he exclaimed. "Where'd you learn how to do that?"

"Impa used to lock my bedroom door when I was little so I couldn't sneak out, so I would use hairpins to pick the locks," Zelda explained.

"Come on, let's go in," Malon said.

Link peered into the room. It was small, and set up exactly as Malon had described it. A desk sat in the middle of the room, and an easel beside it. Paintings covered the walls. The orb of light floating in front of her, Zelda went to the desk and began to open the drawers, examining their contents. While she did this, Link went to the back wall, looking at the paintings.

Malon could feel her breath beginning to come in short gasps as she stepped into the room she remembered so well. She walked up to the easel, staring at it. It was empty, holding no paintings or canvas. Joining Link at the wall, she began looking at the paintings. Her own face stared back at her from the canvases, sending a shiver down her back. She walked along the wall, unable to take her eyes away from the paintings of herself. As she reached the end of the wall, she gave a small cry, and stepped back.

Link and Zelda jumped as Malon cried out, and turned to look at her. She stood, her arms wrapped protectively around her body, staring at the wall with a look of terror on her face. The other two ran up to her.

Zelda placed her hands on Malon's shoulders. "Malon, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Zelda," Link choked, stepping back, his eyes transfixed on the wall before him.

Zelda looked up at the wall, and her eyes grew wide. Like all the others, the painting portrayed Malon, but unlike the rest, a second person joined her this time. Link's figure stood beside her, his arm wrapped around her shoulder, his other hand holding a dagger which had been plunged into Malon's heart, staining the front of her dress with blood.

"Oh goddesses," Zelda breathed, staring with horror at the painting. Her hands were still on Malon's shoulders, supporting the girl who had now gone limp, her face white as death.

"Link, let's get out of here," Zelda said to the boy, whose face had turned equally white. He looked sickly.

Link nodded, and together, Link stumbling slightly, they supported Malon out of the room and to the door, which Zelda hurriedly unlocked and opened, peering outside to make sure the coast was clear. The guards did not seem to have returned from their wild goose chase, and she nodded to Link that it was all right to come out. Still supporting Malon, they stepped into the clear night air of Hyrule Castletown and carried Malon to a bench nearby, laying her on it.

Remembering what Impa had taught her, Zelda pressed her fingers on Malon's wrist, checking for a pulse. Malon's skin felt cold and clammy, and her pulse seemed weak and slow. While Zelda did this, Link collapsed on the bench beside her, his face still chalk white, staring up at the dark sky. Images flowed through his head, of his sword stabbed through Malon's heart, of him plunging a dagger through her chest. Was he really destined to kill his best friend?

"Link," Zelda said softly. "I know what you're thinking, but don't. If anything, this just proves more so that Ladarius is only trying to mess with your head."

Slowly, Link pulled his mind away from the images and turned his face to look at Zelda. "How can you be so sure?" he asked. "What if I really am going to…" he broke off, unable to bring himself to say the last two words.

Zelda shook her head firmly, and rested her hand on Link's arm. "You won't," she said. "I know you won't."

Link looked unconvinced, but he nodded and turned his eyes to Malon lying beside him. "Is she okay?"

Zelda also looked at the redhead girl, her body lying unmoving on the bench. "I don't know," she replied. "We need to get her to a doctor. Do you think you can help me carry her back to the gate? One of the guards will help us take her to the castle, and Impa can take care of her."

Link nodded, and pushed himself to a standing position. Zelda noted gladly that he seemed to be feeling a little better. She also rose to her feet, and together, they lifted Malon's arms onto their shoulders and began the slow, tedious journey to the gate. When they arrived however, the gate's sentinel had still not returned, and no other guards were anywhere to be seen.

Link and Zelda looked at each other, then back at the empty gate. "Do you think they're still looking for me?" Link asked.

Zelda frowned. "I don't know. Doesn't it seem like an awfully long time to be searching for one person? I'd think they would alert someone else and return to their posts if they really thought there was a threat."

"What do we do then? Should we wait here?"

Zelda thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. "We should probably hurry and get her to the castle. I'm worried there might be something seriously wrong with her."

"Okay," Link agreed. "Let's go."

The travel down the path to Hyrule Castle seemed to take an eternity to the two young teenagers as they half-dragged half-carried Malon's limp body across the ground. The entire way, they met with no guards, and everything seemed unnaturally still and quiet. The two shuddered, their eyes darting around the darkness, as though something were about to leap out at them.

When at last they reached the castle, their circumstances only seemed to worsen. The drawbridge was shut tight and unguarded, and they had no way of getting in through the courtyard with an unconscious girl in tow. They looked around, trying to find a way to get inside, when a voice suddenly yelled, "There she is! The Princess is over here!" and a soldier came running towards them from the courtyard side of the castle, closely followed by two others. The first grabbed Zelda, pulling her aside and causing Link to collapse under the sudden full weight of Malon's body. The other two pointed their spears at Link and Malon.

"Wait!" Zelda cried, struggling to free her arm from the guard's grasp. "They're with me! It's all right!"

The two guards glanced at Zelda, then turned their focus back on the other two. "I'm sorry Your Highness, but for the present we must take extreme precautions, for the safety of the Royal Family?"

"What are you talking about?" Zelda demanded. "Please, my friend, the girl, she's hurt. She needs medical attention!"

His brow furrowing, one of the guards knelt down, examining Malon's limp body. He held her wrist, feeling for her pulse, then stood back up, turning to the guard who still held Zelda's arm. "She's right," he said. "Take her inside; we'll handle the boy."

The first guard nodded, releasing Zelda's arm and walking over to pick up the unconscious girl. He yelled something at the castle, and the drawbridge slowly let down, allowing him to carry Malon inside.

Meanwhile, the two remaining guards turned to Zelda, keeping their spears pointed closely at Link's vitals. "Princess, we need you to come with us," said the one who had checked Malon's pulse.

Zelda nodded, and followed as the two guards marched Link inside the castle. "What has happened?" she asked.

The guard glanced back at her, his face grim. "Something very unpleasant," he replied vaguely. "We've been searching the castle all over for you. His Majesty and Lady Impa are worried sick over you."

"What's going on?" Link asked.

The second guard jabbed Link with his spear, causing him to yelp. "Quiet," the guard ordered. Link glared at him.

"You'll find out soon enough," the first guard said. "We're almost there."

Sure enough, as the guard finished this last sentence, they rounded a corner to find a large group of people, servants and guards alike, crowded in a group around something on the floor. Looks of horror and frightened curiosity plastered across their faces, and some of them looked as though they were about to be sick.

"Zelda!" a man's voice bellowed, and the king pushed through the back of the crowd to grasp his daughter in a tight hug. "Where have you been, young lady?" he demanded, releasing her and pushing her back to look at her sternly.

Before Zelda could answer the question, King Daphnes caught sight of the two guards still pointing their spears at Link, who looked very irritated. "So, you again," Daphnes said. His tone was stern and angry, but turned to the guards and said, "It's all right. You can release him."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the guards said, removing their spears and bowing.

Link opened his mouth to say something smart, but his relief was shortened by the king's harsh gaze. He felt the sudden urge to take several steps away, and with some effort managed not to do so. He looked fearfully into Daphnes' stern gray eyes.

"Daddy, what's going on?" Zelda asked, intervening before her father could begin lecturing the youth in front of him.

Daphnes turned to his daughter, and his face became one of troubled concern. "I'm not sure it's something you should see," he said slowly.

"It's all right, Daddy. I can handle it," the princess said.

His face still one of concern, Daphnes searched his daughter's face, then nodded. He turned to the guards who stood surrounding whatever it was Daphnes had not wanted Zelda to see. "Let them see," he told the guards, indicating to the two children.

The guards bowed and stood aside. Link and Zelda exchanged glances, then together they walked up to the circle, and peered down at the floor. Zelda shrieked, and stepped back hastily, her hand going to her mouth, while Link stared at the spot in shock and horror. Regaining herself, Zelda crept back to Link's side, looking sickly as she stared at the place on the floor.

A woman's body, beaten, bruised and bloody, lay on the floor in a pool of dark blood. Blood spattered the walls and floor several feet around her, and spread out on the floor beside her was a canvas, held down on the floor by the woman's gray, lifeless head. A bloody paintbrush lay beside the canvas, and written in blood upon it were the words "Heed this warning, foolish children. Do not attempt to meddle any further."

Zelda's hand crept to her mouth once again as she read the words, and her eyes widened with horror. Slowly, she turned to stare at her father.

Daphnes looked at his daughter's frightened, horrified face. "Do you know what it means?" he asked.

Zelda stared at him for another moment, then slowly shook her head. "I don't," she lied.

"Then what were you three doing outside of the castle tonight?" Daphnes inquired.

"We wanted to see what the castle looked like at night, so we decided to sneak out," Zelda replied.

"I know her," Link said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"What?" Zelda asked, turning to him. Her eyes slid of their own accord to the woman's body, and she quickly looked away again.

"I know her," Link said again. "She was cleaning your father's room the other night. Her name was Elaine."

Zelda stared at the boy, her eyes filled with shock and pity, unsure of what to say.

"She was close to our age," Link continued. "She came to work in the castle because her family was too poor to support themselves."

Zelda went to place a hand on Link's arm. "Link, that's—"

Link turned on her so fast she almost cried out and stepped back a little. Link's eyes held hers, and his intense, wild gaze frightened her. "He knows," he said. "He's going to go after anyone we have a connection to. You were right; he'll mess with our heads until there's nothing left. This is all our fault."

"Link, be quiet!" Zelda said.

"Zelda, what is he talking about?" Daphnes asked.

Zelda turned to the king. "Father, he must be in shock, he's talking nonsense. He needs to be taken to where Malon was taken."

Daphnes frowned deeply. His daughter only called him father when she was lying about something very important. He glanced at the boy. Whatever was going on, he would let it wait for now. Zelda was right about one thing. The boy definitely needed to be treated, and she probably did as well. He nodded. "We'll take him to Impa," he told her.

Zelda nodded and grabbed Link's arm, leading him after her father. She sent one last shuddering look at the bloody scene.

---

"Honestly! You bring me two children who have gone into shock, one of them a quite serious state! You're lucky I'm a healer!" Impa exclaimed, as she knelt down beside Malon's body, which had turned a faint blue in color. Impa lifted Malon's head and poured a little red potion down her throat. Impa stood up, surveying the two children who had been brought to her. Malon lay on the bed, the blankets covering her body, and Link lay on the floor, also covered in blankets. Pillows had been placed under both of their legs, raising them slightly.

Impa turned to Zelda, her hands on her hips and a stern, expectant look on her face. "Zelda, what were you three doing tonight?" she asked.

Zelda stared pointedly at a corner of the bed. "Nothing," she replied.

"Zelda, I know you're lying," Impa began, but King Daphnes placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let it go for now," he said.

Impa appeared hesitant, but nodded. "Zelda, you should go to your rooms," she said. "Don't worry about these two; I'll take care of them."

Zelda opened her mouth to protest, but a stern look from both her father and her nursemaid stopped her, and she nodded obediently. "Fine. Good night," she said, turning to exit the room.

"Good night," Impa and Daphnes called back as she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Zelda crossed the corridors to her own room, her mind moving a mile a minute as she walked. She was worried about Link and Malon. Neither of them looked too good at all, though at least Link seemed to be better off than Malon. Zelda frowned; she knew Impa would take care of them as she had said, but she couldn't help worrying. What worried her even more though, was that her father and Impa both seemed to suspect that whatever they had been up to tonight had been somehow connected the terrible scene from earlier. She was afraid of how her father would react once he found out, though she was certain he would not be happy.

These thoughts scurrying back and forth through her mind, Zelda went to her room, climbed into bed, and lay awake for several hours, thinking.

---

Dawn came all too quickly for the princess of Hyrule. She awoke early in the morning, and forced herself to open her eyes and crawl out of bed. Washing and dressing herself, she crept into the corridor, keeping her eyes peeled for her father or Impa. She wanted to avoid both of them if at all possible. She wondered for a moment whether it would be safe to visit Link and Malon, or if Impa might still be with them. She decided she would visit them anyway, and just make sure to check that Impa wasn't there before she went in.

Zelda hurried through the corridors on her way to the room where Link and Malon rested. As she reached the door, it opened, freezing her mid-step. Ren stepped out of the room and caught sight of Zelda as she relaxed slightly. He closed the door softly behind him and walked over to her.

"Zelda," he said. "I've been talking to your father. What happened last night?"

Zelda looked away from him quickly. She should have known he would talk to her father. Now he was going to try to get it out of her as well. She hesitated, trying to think of a decent lie.

"Is it really that bad?" Ren asked, noting her hesitation and raising his eyebrows slightly.

"It's not bad!" Zelda replied hastily, too late realizing what she had said. She fumbled. "I mean, it's just that I'm afraid Daddy might misunderstand."

Ren smiled knowingly. "All right, I'll tell you what. You tell me, and I promise not to tell your father, okay?"

Zelda considered this. Finally, she decided to agree with this proposal. If she lied, Ren would know anyway. Nodding, she began the story of the recent events, and everything that had happened the previous night.

Ren frowned as she told him about the painter L.R., Lanarius, and the phantom Link had met in the dungeon. At last she concluded her story with the incidents of the night before. "It sounds pretty dangerous," Ren said when Zelda had finished. "I don't think I like it. Zelda, are you sure you should be messing around with someone like that?"

"We have to," Zelda replied. "Besides, it's not like Link and I haven't faced things like this before."

Ren nodded. She had told him about the fight against Ganondorf, and sending Link back in time. "Still," he said. "With what happened last night, it might just be better to leave things alone. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Zelda shook her head. "This is something I have to do. I could never forgive myself otherwise, if something happened to Link or Malon."

Ren studied her. At last, he nodded. "Well, since you seem set on it, I suppose I'll help you out."

Zelda looked up, her face brightening. "You will?"

He smiled. "I have no choice, I guess."

"Yay!" Zelda cried, throwing her arms around him. "Thank you, Ren!"

---

Slowly, Malon opened her eyes, feeling as though she had just held her breath underwater for twenty minutes. Her head pounded painfully as she sat up, taking in her surroundings. She lay in a large, comfortable bed in an unfamiliar room. Thick curtains had been drawn over the windows, blocking out the light and darkening the room. She slowly slid her feet off the bed and stood up cautiously. Her legs wobbled slightly beneath her, but she managed to keep her balance and walk to the other side of the bed, where she nearly stepped on something spread across the floor.

Peering at the thing more closely, she realized that it was Link, asleep with his limbs sprawled out everywhere and blankets wrapped in odd ways around his body. As Malon stared at him, he snored loudly, causing her to laugh softly. Unfortunately, laughing seemed to make the pounding in her head ten times worse, and she stopped abruptly.

She looked around the room again, trying to determine where she was. Where had she been last night? She cringed as memories of the previous night came pouring back to her, and had to stumble back to the bed and sit down on it. She leaned her head in her eyes, closing her eyes shut tightly. She could feel her heart speeding up, and her breathing started to come faster. Last night she had looked at that painting, and afterwards she couldn't seem to remember anything. Had she lost consciousness? She glanced at the room once more. It looked like the sort of room that only a very wealthy person would have; she must be in the castle.

As she thought, a sudden moaning came from the floor at her feet. Startled, Malon looked down. The moaning was coming from Link, whose face mirrored one of terror. Malon stood up, slowly coming toward him, worried. She knelt down beside him.

_He must be having a nightmare_, she thought. _Should I wake him?_

Link began to writhe, his body moving wildly. Suddenly, he cried out and jerked awake, his body shooting automatically into a sitting position. Malon startled slightly as his white face shot up at her. He stared at her, and his eyes seemed to widen in horror. "No!" he shouted, jerking away from her.

Malon fell back on the floor, staring at him in shock and confusion as he backed away from her.

"S-stay away from me!" Link cried, his face stricken. He turned and clumsily wrenched the door open, stumbling into the hallway and running off, not bothering to shut the door behind him.

Malon stared after him, feeling hurt and bewildered as to why Link had been so terrified to be near her. Had his nightmare been about her? She stood up and walked over to the open door, peering into the corridor. Link was nowhere to be seen.

---

Link ran through the corridors, not bothering to pay attention to where he went, or caring. He couldn't stay near Malon anymore. Ploy to destroy his mind or not, he couldn't take the risk of actually doing anything like that to her. Not to Malon, his best friend. He stopped in the middle of a corridor and leaned his hands on his knees, huffing loudly.

Only then did he stop to look around, realizing he had no idea where he was. He turned around and walked back down the corridor, but when he came to a fork could not remember which way he had come from.

"Great, now what," he muttered.

He pondered over the two corridors for a moment, and finally decided on the one to the right. The hall continued on for several minutes. Link looked around. Unlike most of the other corridors, no paintings or decorations hung on the walls, and as he went on, the lamps slowly began to fade away until the only light was provided by torches. A cold draft blew on him from the end of the hallway, and Link had the feeling he knew where he was. It would probably be smart to turn around now, but something drew him forward, and he found himself continuing to the dungeon door.

The door was unlocked, perhaps because some careless guard had forgotten to lock it, or because they simply no longer saw the purpose of locking it. With some effort, he pulled the heavy door open, and crept inside. The dungeon was exactly how he remembered it—cold, dark, and damp. He walked down the short stairway. He could barely see inside the dark dungeon, and he wished he had thought to grab a torch.

Link sidled across the floor, peering around as his eyes slowly adjusted to the lack of light. The cell where he had been imprisoned stood wide open, as though someone had been inside recently. Link's better judgment told him to leave now, but for some reason his mind seemed to be very foggy, and he walked into the cell and to the back left corner. A skull lay on the floor, the tattered, decaying remains of a blue hood wrapped around it. Something glinted, from what light he did not know, on the floor beside the skull. Kneeling down beside it, he squinted at the object.

It was a pendant, made of some sort of blue, glass-like substance, and bearing some sort of strange symbol. Link picked it up, and dropped it immediately, fresh drops of blood beading up from a cut on his finger where he had touched the pendant. A drop of blood dripped onto the pendant, and it sizzled and disappeared, as though the substance had soaked it up.

Link suddenly felt woozy. He leaned his head in his hands as a dizzy spell swept over him, waiting for the dark spots in front of his eyes to clear up.

---

Malon debated about going into the corridors and trying to find Link. The castle was immense, and she didn't know her way around it at all, but she was worried by Link's behavior. She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot. The next time she saw him, she was going to make sure he regretted making her worry so much, and if she had to beat it out of him, he was going to tell her why he had acted that way.

Her brow creased as something crossed her mind. Did it have to do with that painting? Her heart squeezed painfully at the remembrance of the disturbing image, and she clenched her eyes shut to ward off the uncomfortable feeling.

As Malon stood there with her eyes shut, Zelda peeked into the room, and when she saw Malon awake, burst inside. "Guess what!" she cried, causing Malon to jump and nearly lose her balance. "Ren said he would help us find Ladarius! Hey, where's Link?" the princess faltered in her statement, looking around the room for the teenage boy.

"He ran off. I don't know where he went," Malon said.

"He ran off? Why?" Zelda asked.

"He was having some sort of nightmare, and then he screamed at me to stay away, and ran off," Malon explained.

Zelda's face fell. "Oh. I think I know why," she said softly. She looked up at Malon cautiously. "I don't know if I should tell you this, but I think you need to know."

"Know what?" Malon asked, feeling scared by Zelda's serious look.

Zelda hesitated for a moment, then told Malon about Link's dream. Malon's face turned white. "He's been having dreams like that?" she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "For how long?"

"He told me about it a couple of days ago. It was before we went to that house," Zelda said.

Walking backwards, Malon sat down on the bed, while Zelda stood awkwardly, waiting for her to say something. "Well, I guess that explains why he was acting that way," Malon said.

"Malon, I didn't want to tell Link this, but I'm afraid that dream might actually be some sort of prediction of the future, especially after everything that's just happened," Zelda said, carefully avoiding telling Malon about the bloody scene she and Link had seen the night before. "I think it might be a good idea for you and Link to stay far away from each other, just in case. Link, and Ren, and I will keep trying to find Ladarius, and if we need your help, I can have Ren come ask you, but I think you should just stay away from all of this."

Malon bit her lip. The last thing she wanted was to back off, and leave Link wide open for Zelda, and she really wanted to help with the Ladarius situation, but Zelda was right. Things were too dangerous for her to keep getting involved, and she definitely didn't want to be killed, especially not by Link. Silently, she nodded.

"I'm really sorry, Malon, but it's for your safety, and for Link's," Zelda said.

Malon nodded. "It's okay. I understand."

"Come on, I'll go find someone to escort you out."

---

Link leaned his hands against the wall, breathing hard as he coughed out the last bits of blood he had just vomited up. He leaned back on his knees, trying to catch his breath. What was happening to him? Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to get away from that cell. Why had he even come there?

Using the wall as support, he stumbled do his feet, and walked unsteadily out of the cell, keeping his hands against the walls as he stumbled to the stairs and out of the dungeon. He didn't bother to close the door, but continued slowly down the dim corridor.

An eternity later he reached the fork from earlier, and took the corridor he should have gone down in the first place. A sound reached his ears, and he disregarded it at first, until he realized someone was calling his name. He looked up from staring at the floor in front of him, and tried to open his mouth to call back, but found he was too weak.

Footsteps sounded down the corridor near him, and a figure rounded the corner. "Oh, goddesses! Link!" a girl's voice cried, running towards him.

Zelda caught Link's arms as he almost lost his balance, doing her best to hold him steady as they walked slowly down the corridor. "Link, what happened to you? What were you doing?" Zelda gasped, her eyes searching over him fearfully and lingering on the blood splattered on his chin.

Link could not reply, and Zelda frowned worriedly. "Come on, we'll go find Impa," she said.

They stumbled down the hall until they came upon one of the guards, who took Link from Zelda and brought him to Impa. The Sheikah fussed over Link even more than she had before, and Zelda sat in a chair, watching him with worry and waiting for a chance to talk with him alone.

Once Impa was satisfied that she had done all she could for Link, and had ordered him to stay in bed and not to get up until she said it was okay, she finally left the room. Link and Zelda sat in silence, Link pouting about being put on bed rest, and Zelda fumbling with the hem of her dress.

"Link, what happened to you?" Zelda asked.

Link turned to her, and told her what had happened, starting with the recurring nightmare and his experience with Malon, and ending with what had happened in the dungeon.

"Link, I don't like what happened with that pendant. What if it was some dark item Ladarius used? Why did you even go down there?" Zelda said.

"I told you, I wasn't thinking straight. It was like my mind was all foggy or something," Link said. "What about that skull? I thought we'd decided Ladarius wasn't actually dead?"

Zelda shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe it was some sort of illusion. Oh, I told Ren what we've been doing, and he said he'll help us."

"Oh, that's good," Link said. "I think we need all the help we can get."

"And also, about your dream. I told Malon it was best if you two stayed away from each other until we have all of this figured out," Zelda told him cautiously. "I think it's for the best, for both of you."

Link nodded. "Yeah. I agree."

Zelda nodded as well. "I'll let you rest now," she said, standing up.

Link stuck out his tongue, and resumed pouting as Zelda left the room.

---

"Your Highness, when will you allow me to ask Zelda what's been going on?" Impa said, staring at the King of Hyrule with her stern red eyes.

Daphnes surveyed Impa from his desk. "She'll tell us on her own time. For now, I trust my daughter's judgment."

"She's only a child," Impa said.

"Impa, you've told me yourself a hundred times how wise Zelda is. And she is no longer a child," Daphnes replied.

Impa sighed. "You're right," she said. "I guess I just don't like that she's keeping secrets from me. She's never done that before."

The king smiled. "At least not that you know of. Don't worry, she'll tell us eventually."

Impa smiled as well. "I'd better go check on Link, now."

Daphnes chuckled and shook his head. "That boy seems to have a knack for getting into himself into bad situations."


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N: OMG!!!! I finally freakin updated! Sorry it took so long, but between a bad case of writer's block, and a new job, I just couldn't find the inspiration to sit down and write. But here it is, finally, and hopefully, no more bad writer's block. Enjoy!_

Chapter 5:

Two weeks dragged by for Malon. She still found herself expecting Link to randomly pop up to visit her, and her heart ached painfully every time she saw Epona galloping out of the ranch. She hadn't realized how much she had grown to depend on Link's visits to brighten up the hard, boring days at the ranch. Why was it that everything seemed to be going terribly wrong for her and Link? Were the goddesses really that against her being with him? She frowned. Instead, he was off playing around with Princess Zelda. She already had wealth and beauty. Why did she get to have Link as well?

"Stop staring off into space and get to work already!" an annoyed voice said behind her.

Malon turned around to see Ingo standing behind her, glaring at her with his arms crossed over his chest. She was standing in front of a trough in the barn, holding a bucket of water. She had zoned out for probably about the zillionth time the past couple of weeks, thinking about Link again. How annoying. She turned back around and emptied the bucket into the trough.

Why was she getting so jealous of Zelda anyway? She knew they were working hard, trying to find Ladarius so she and Link could be safe. Since when did she get jealous, anyway? Malon sighed, getting the feeling she had already had this conversation with herself a hundred times before.

Ingo had moved around her by this time, going about his own chores and muttering under his breath as he always did. Malon turned to head out the door.

"That kid who's always coming around here. I haven't seen him in awhile," Ingo said.

Malon stopped in her tracks and glanced back at him. He did not look up at her. Was Ingo actually concerned about her? She smiled and shook her head, almost laughing at the thought. More likely he was glad Link hadn't been around, and was making sure he wouldn't be anytime soon.

"He's just been busy," Malon said.

Ingo grunted in reply, and Malon continued out of the barn. She wondered how things were going with the search for Ladarius. She hadn't heard from any of them at all. Had they made any progress, or were they just searching blindly?

Malon bent and picked up a stone in front of her toe, giving it a fling and sending it soaring over the tall fence. It would be nice if they would at least give her an update. For a moment, she considered going to the castle and asking about it, but Link was probably there. Maybe she was just destined to stay in the dark. She sighed again as Epona came trotting into the ranch, and went to care for the mare.

---

"Two weeks, and we haven't learned anything at all!" Link proclaimed again, slamming a fist against the stone wall of the courtyard. "How long is this going to go on?"

Zelda looked up from where she was kneeling beside the flower bed. "Ren wanted us to meet him here so he could tell us something. Maybe he's found something out."

Link crossed his arms and sat down on the stone steps. "Last time he wanted to tell us something, it was just that he'd searched through all the records and hadn't found anything. Like we need to be told what we haven't found!"

Zelda fingered a small yellow daisy. She understood Link's annoyance. She was starting to feel a little hopeless herself. It did seem like they had searched everywhere they could think of, which wasn't much, and still they had found nothing. They were making no progress at all, and in the meantime the wear the wait was having on Link's mind was growing more and more apparent.

Link's nightmares had steadily gotten worse, more vivid and more frequent, so that sometimes when he just closed his eyes for a second, she saw his face whiten and his eyes would jerk open almost immediately. Dark circles hung around his eyes, and he looked weary and exhausted. Zelda's face tightened with worry. It was almost like Ladarius was doing this on purpose, covering his tracks completely while they searched hopelessly, and steadily making Link's nightmares worse and worse, so that his mind's defenses wore down. She didn't like it.

"Look! Here it is!" Ren's voice suddenly called, breaking into her thoughts. Link and Zelda looked up as he burst into the courtyard, waving a sheet of paper wildly around his head.

Zelda and Link both stood up. "What is it?" Zelda said, running up to Ren excitedly. Had he finally found something?

Ren held the paper out for her to see, and she peered at it eagerly while Link came to join her, looking at the paper over her shoulder. "What is it?" Link asked.

"It's a title deed," Ren explained, "for a man named Lien Risess."

Link looked up at him. "So you mean?"

Ren nodded. "He changed his name, probably so it would be less easy to track him down, and yet similar enough that we would be able to find him," he said. "Strange. It's almost like he's been planning this from the start."

Zelda nodded her agreement, as her cousin confirmed her fears. "Look where it is too," she said, pointing at the location. "It's a good distance away from the castle, or any other town or anything."

"You're right," Ren said, looking at the location as well. He looked at the other two. "I guess you'll want to go check it out then."

"Of course," Link said, and Zelda nodded.

"I think we should tell Malon first," Zelda added. "She should know."

"Right," Ren agreed. "I'll head out today and tell her."

Zelda looked Ren straight in the eye. "I'm going to that house," she said. "I don't care what Daddy says. If I have to sneak out, I will."

Ren nodded. "I figured as much. I'll ask your father to let you come stay at my place for awhile. He should agree to that."

Something popped into Zelda's head. "Oh no," she groaned, burying her face in her hands.

Both Link and Ren stared at her. "What's wrong?" Link asked, placing a hand on her shoulder, and giving her a worried look. "Are you okay?"

Zelda removed her face from her hands. "I'm fine," she said. "I just remembered though, that stupid coming of age ball is in three days. Daddy will never let me leave before then."

Link and Ren exchanged glances. "We can wait," Ren said, "if you think we can afford it."

"I don't know," Zelda said. She looked at Link's pale face, and the dark circles beneath his eyes. Would it be okay to wait another three days, just for her?

Seeing what she was thinking, Ren made an offer. "I can go on ahead and check it out, to make sure it's even a true lead, and then come back and we can go back together," he said. "I'd rather do that anyway, just to be on the safe side."

Zelda frowned. Would it really be okay to do that? What if something happened to Ren? Plus, that would still mean waiting another three days. Maybe Ren and Link should just go without her.

"Let's do that," Link said, making the decision for her. Zelda looked up at him. "Ren won't go inside, just see what the outside's like, and then come back and tell us. That way, we can all go together."

"It's decided then," Ren said. "That's what we'll do." He gave Zelda a reassuring smile. "I'll go tell Malon what we're doing now."

Ren headed out of the courtyard. Zelda turned to Link. "Link, I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't be sorry," Link told her. "If you didn't get to go, you'd never give us a rest. I'm just saving my ears from days of whining."

Zelda giggled. "I guess you're right," she said.

---

Malon took off her thick gloves and threw them onto the ground beside her, brushing her hands off. She glanced up at the sun. It was a little after noon now. She should probably go eat lunch. Picking up the discarded gloves, she headed for the house.

"Hello, Malon. It's been awhile," a low voice said behind her.

Malon straightened, stopping dead in her tracks. A chill traveled down her spine. That voice…it couldn't be…Her breath coming quickly, she turned around slowly. She felt the eyes piercing her through the darkness of the hood. Her shriek broke through the air, waking her father and alerting Ingo. The two men came running from their respective places, looking around wildly for the girl, but she was nowhere to be seen.

---

Ren mounted the steed he had borrowed from the royal stables, sending it galloping across Hyrule Field in the direction of Lon Lon Ranch. The sun hung in the sky, almost fourteen o' clock as he neared the ranch. He could feel that something was wrong in the atmosphere before he even got there. Riding into the ranch, he brought the reins in, and dismounted.

The ranch seemed strangely empty. The horses ran freely in the open pen in the center of the ranch, but no people were in sight anywhere. Even if they couldn't afford servants, shouldn't the ranch owners be out? He saw no sign of people, or of the redheaded girl, but a human sound reached his ears. It was the sound of someone calling.

A man came out of one of the buildings in front of Ren. His back was turned to Ren, and he did not seem to notice the young nobleman standing behind him. He wore pink overalls, and his brown-haired head was starting to go bald. A second man came from around the corner, his chubby face red and drenched with sweat. Ren realized this must have been the man he'd heard the calling from. This second man also did not seem to notice Ren.

The first man shook his head. "She's not here," he said.

The second man looked bewildered. "Are you sure? Did you check her room? She must be in her room." He started to head for one of the doors.

"She's not there," the first man said. "I already looked."

"Maybe you just didn't see her. I'll look again." Again the second man started to head for the door.

"She's not there. Just give it up, Talon! She's gone!"

The second man, Talon, rounded on the first, his face one of fury. He swung his fist at the first man, catching him hard in the jaw and sending him staggering sideways. "You dirty bastard!" he yelled. "You don't even give a shit that something's happened to my daughter!"

The first man straightened up, glaring at Talon as he rubbed his jaw. "What the hell are you talking about? I was just helping you look for her, wasn't I?" he bellowed.

"And you were really—"

"Excuse me," Ren said, deciding to cut in before something really bad broke out. He approached the two men, who stared at him, just realizing his presence.

"Who the hell are you?" Talon demanded regaining himself.

Ren dropped a slight, respectful bow. "I am Duke Renaldo Ambergini. I've come from the castle of Hyrule," he said. "Could you tell me what's happened? I think I may know where your daughter is."

Talon reacted like lightning, grabbing Ren roughly by his collar. He was short, not even reaching Ren's shoulder. "Where the hell is she? Where is my daughter?" Talon demanded.

Ren placed his hands on the man's fists. "Please, calm down," he said. "I want to help you, but I need you to calm down and tell me what's happened."

Seeming to come to his senses, Talon slowly released Ren, clearing his throat roughly.

"Alright," Ren said, seeing that the man was somewhat calmer now. "Now tell me, what happened to your daughter."

---

"Zelda! Link!" Ren called, running into the courtyard as fast as he could.

Link and Zelda looked up from where they were sitting on the stone steps talking. "Ren? What's wrong?" Zelda asked.

"Malon has gone missing!" Ren said, stopping in front of them and trying to catch his breath.

Link stood up. "What do you mean?" he said, staring at Ren.

"When I got to the ranch she was gone," Ren explained. "Her father told me he heard her scream, and when he went to check on her, she had disappeared. He and the other man looked all over the place, but they couldn't find her anywhere."

Zelda covered her mouth with her hand, standing up slowly. "Was it Ladarius?" she asked.

"Probably," Ren said. "I can't think of any other reason that she would just disappear."

Link backed up slowly, and retook his seat on the steps. It was happening. It was really happening, and he hadn't been able to do anything. How much longer till his nightmares came true?

Zelda looked at Link, concerned. His face was white, and she could read what she knew he was thinking written all over his expression. She approached him slowly, placing a gentle, comforting hand on his shoulder, she bent down to look him in the eyes.

"Link, it will be alright," she said. "I'm sure she's fine."

Link did not respond, and continued staring straight ahead. Zelda sighed, and stood back up. She turned to Ren. "What do we do?" she asked. "We can't tell Daddy. If we do, he'll only forbid us to do anything further, and then we'll never be able to find her."

Ren pondered this for a moment. "I think we should stick with the original plan," he said at last.

"Are you sure?" Zelda asked.

"It's probably best," he said. "Whatever this Ladarius seems to be planning, I don't think he's going to hurt her."

Zelda nodded. Not yet, at least, she thought. She glanced at Link. How long would he be able to last now? She turned back to Ren. "You should probably go now," she said.

He nodded. "The sooner the better. If I find anything at all, I'll contact you immediately, alright?"

Zelda nodded. "Be careful."

Ren smiled. "Like any dumb painter would be able to hurt me," he said, and Zelda offered a half smile in return. "I'll see you later. You take care of Link."

Zelda raised her hand in a wave as Ren turned and ran out of the courtyard. After a moment, she turned back to Link. Placing her hand on his arm, she tugged him up to his feet, and he obeyed without resistance. "Come on," she said. "You need to snap out of it, so we can start planning."

Not raising his eyes up to meet hers, Link nodded slowly, and followed her out of the courtyard.

Zelda led him to one of the lesser used rooms, so they could talk without fear of being disturbed. They took a seat in some chairs set up in the room. "Well?" Link said after a moment of silence.

Zelda fiddled with the hem of her dress. "I'm thinking," she said.

"Maybe we should just forget about it," Link said.

Zelda's face shot up to look at him. "What are you saying?" she said. "You can't just abandon Malon!"

Link stood up, turning away from her with his hands crossed over his chest. "Or maybe things will just wind up worse if I don't," he said.

Zelda stood up as well. "Link, don't say that!"

Link whirled on her, his face angry. "Don't tell me you haven't been thinking it too!" he shouted, causing Zelda to cringe away from him. "You're the one who told Malon to stay away from me, because you think I might do something to hurt her, too!"

"Link! It's not like that!" Zelda said.

"Enough," Link cut her off. "It is like that, and you know it as much as I do. I'm just going to go home and stay as far away from all of this as possible. Maybe things will turn out better once I'm out of the picture."

He started to walk toward the door, while Zelda stared after him. "You're supposed to be the bearer of Courage!" she yelled at him as he opened the door.

He glanced back at her. "And you're supposed to be the Sage of Wisdom," he replied, walking out the door and shutting it behind him.

Zelda bit her lip, knowing she could not follow after him. What was happening to her? Was she really starting to fail as the Sage of Wisdom? And what of Link? The Link she knew would never have backed down from anything, until now. She sank back down into her chair, burying her face in her hands. It was like the entire world had been turned upside down, and there was nothing she could do about it.

---

Saria came out of her house, carrying the empty bowl she normally used for washing her face and hands, preparing to refill it from the stream. Out of habit, her eyes glanced at Link's house, and she saw the curtain that covered his door falling over the doorframe. Was Link home? Turning back into her house, she set the bowl down. She would go check on Link first.

Heading for the tree house, she climbed the ladder up to the balcony, and knocked on the wall. "Link?" she called. She heard no reply, and stepped inside the house.

A familiar lump lay on the bed, covered entirely with the blankets. "Link, are you asleep?" she asked softly.

The lump made no movement or reply, and she decided he must be either asleep or pretending to be asleep because he wanted to be left alone. She turned and left the house.

---

He waited until he was sure Saria had left the house before he turned onto his back to stare at the slowly darkening ceiling. He did not want to sleep. Who knew what horrible dreams sleep would bring him now, as if they had not been bad enough before. As much as he tried though, he could not fight the exhaustion that crept over him, making his eyelids heavy so that he was unable to keep them open.

The vision came to him the second he closed his eyes it seemed. He was naked, sitting in a tub of sorts, his body completely submerged in a warm, dark liquid.

"Not long now," the familiar voice said as the hooded man appeared out of the shadows. "I can't wait, can you?" Link sensed the cruel grin beneath the shadows, and shuddered. "Look, that's her blood you're bathing in now, and there's her body, there." He raised a hand, pointing at Link's side.

Turning his head, Link's shout resounded about the recesses of his mind, and his eyes struggled to open. "Oh no," the man said. "No waking up, not yet. That's no fun. I want you to look at her, to see just what you did to her."

Moving on its own accord, Link's head turned to stare at Malon's limp body, laying strewn across the floor and dripping her own blood from a gaping hole in her chest. "See where her heart used to be?" the cold voiced spoke. "But you ripped it out, without any thought, as her cries pierced your ears. Look at her eyes, you can still almost see the life inside them. Look at them."

Unwillingly, Link's eyes fell upon Malon's staring, blue eyes. "See the pain that fills them?" the voice continued. "Confusion, betrayal, and there's something else, too. Do you see it? It's hatred, and jealousy. This is the pain you caused her."

Link struggled against the force controlling his mind's body, holding his eyes shut. "No!" he screamed as his eyes jerked open and his body shot up straight.

The voice echoed in the back of his mind, laughing coldly. "Enjoy your peace while you can. I will see you again, very soon."

Staring at the blanket covering his legs, Link breathed quickly, trying unsuccessfully to shut out the fresh images from his mind. He turned to the window, pulling back the curtains. Rays of sunlight streamed into the open window, landing on his bed.

"Oh, you're awake," Saria said. Link turned to see her standing in the doorway. "I was just coming to get you up."

"Thanks," Link said, looking away from her. He slid his legs onto the floor, grabbing the nearest tunic and pulling it on.

Saria raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you alright?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm fine," Link said, still not looking at her and fidgeting with his tunic.

"Link, there's no sense in lying to me. You may as well spit it out."

"I said it's nothing," Link almost snarled. What was up with Zelda and Saria? They were always nagging him about something. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

Pushing past Saria, Link stormed out of the tree house and jumped down the ladder, leaving Saria staring after him in confusion. Whatever was wrong with Link, it must be something pretty bad. He hardly ever got angry with Saria, and even when he did, it was nothing like this. She chewed on her lip, unsure what to do. This was the first time she could think of that Link had ever hidden anything from her. Had something happened with Ladarius?

She walked out onto the balcony, and saw Link heading in the direction of the Lost Woods. Should she follow him, or would it be better to just leave him alone for now? She turned her eyes to the entrance to the Great Deku Tree's grove. Perhaps she should talk to someone with more wisdom than she.

---

Sunlight danced on the ground through the leaves of the trees as Link walked deeper and deeper into the Lost Woods. It didn't really matter. He knew these woods so well, he could probably walk through them with his eyes closed. Finally, he stopped at the pool of water he used to come to a lot when he wanted to be alone and think. Walking to the water's edge, he stared down into it, and his own face reflected back at him. Frowning, he kicked at it angrily, causing the water to ripple and blur his features. He couldn't stand the sight of himself right now.

Sitting down, he stared at the distant trees beyond the pool instead. Thoughts he couldn't fight back, and didn't really want to either, slithered to the front of his mind. No one understood him. He hated Zelda and Saria. How could they expect to understand what he was feeling right now? He was the one who had caused Malon to get kidnapped in the first place, because he was too stupid and pathetic to do anything to stop it. And they expected him to keep trying? What good was he going to do? If he didn't stop trying now, he was just going to wind up hurting Malon more, like in his nightmares. It was best if he just gave up. He was too pathetic to do any good.

His eyes turned back to the pool. How easy would it be to just end it all now? Then Malon wouldn't be hurt anymore, and Saria and Zelda wouldn't be able to bother him again. What was the point in living anyway, if he was only going to make things worse? Whatever awaited him after death, it had to be better than this.

Sitting up onto his knees, he slowly leaned forward until the tip of his nose hovered just above the water's edge, and his breath rippled the surface. Taking a deep breath, he plunged his head into the icy water.

---

Saria strode down the path leading to the Great Deku Tree. How long had it been since she'd come here last? She used to visit the Great Deku Tree all the time, until Link had come along. She'd taken it onto herself to take care of him, and before she knew it, he was taking up all of her time. She smiled, thinking about Link's younger days. He had been such a sweet child, and he looked exactly like his mother.

She had only seen his mother once, and she had been wounded at the time, but she had been beautiful, and with one look, Saria could tell that she loved her baby boy more than anything else in the world. She had cradled him so close to her chest. Even as she stumbled and dripped blood, and as cold stares followed her from the Kokiri children, she held him as though she might protect him from every bad thing in the world.

When the young woman left this world, the duty of protecting the infant had been passed to Saria, and she had loved him as a son, as a brother, and as he grew older, a friend. A painful tug pulled at her heart. He had always trusted her with everything, to the point where it was almost a fault, yet she had never betrayed his trust. Why was it that now he didn't seem to trust her at all? She felt tears prickling the backs of her eyelids.

"My child, you look sad," the warm, deep voice of the Great Deku Tree rumbled.

Looking up into his kind, familiar face, Saria forced a smile. "Forgive me, Great Deku Tree. It's been so long since I've come to see you, and when I finally do I'm on the verge of tears."

"Do not apologize, dear daughter. What is troubling you?"

Saria bit her lip, trying to think of how to word her problem. "It's Link," she mumbled.

"Ah," the Deku Tree said. "You are troubled by his behavior of late."

Saria looked up at him. "Yes!" she said. "He's been so distant from me lately! Just now, he wouldn't even hint at what was bothering him, and when I tried to ask, he got angry and stormed away."

"I have heard that Hylian children go through this sort of phase at about his age. Perhaps he is just behaving normally for one of his kind," the Great Deku Tree offered.

"I don't think it's just that!" Saria replied. "It's just so unlike him. It has to be something else."

"You are thinking perhaps it is related to his nightmares?" the forest spirit asked.

Saria nodded. "I think it may be. I can't know for certain though, because he won't tell me anything."

"I have heard from your fairy companion of the lad's recent troubles," the Deku Tree said. "And I believe you may be right."

"What should I do?" Saria asked.

"Leave him be for now," the Deku Tree said. "It may be difficult for you, but I'm sure he will tell you eventually. His mind has been troubled, and he needs to come to terms with his own thoughts and fears. When he does, then he will return to his normal self. Until then, just keep your distance, and watch over him quietly."

Saria nodded. The last thing she wanted to do was just leave him alone, but if the Great Deku Tree said it was for the best, then it must be so. "Thank you, Great Deku Tree," she said.

"Of course, child. And perhaps next time you come to visit, it will only be to visit?"

The Kokiri girl smiled. "Yes, of course!" she said.

The Great Deku Tree chuckled. "I will be expecting you, then," he said.

---

Link's lungs burned, begging him for air and threatening to burst, until at last he could bear it no longer. Thrusting his head out of the water, he fell back, gulping the air into his lungs, until he felt slightly resupplied. Staring at the ground in front of him, he clenched his hands into tight fists. Zelda was right to hate him. He was such a coward, he couldn't even take his own life. How pathetic was he?

Sighing, he stood to his feet. It was already nearing late afternoon. The last thing he wanted to do was return to the village, but he figured he'd better, before someone came to look for him, and he'd have to confront them alone. At least back in the Kokiri Forest he could go into his own house and be alone, and if Saria tried to bother him, he would just pretend to be asleep like he had last time.

Grabbing his hat, which had fallen off, he shoved it back on over his dripping hair, and headed back for the entrance of the Lost Woods.

---

As Saria headed back for her own house, she saw Link coming back from the Lost Woods. She saw that his hair was wet, yet the rest of him was dry, and wondered what he had been doing. He stared pointedly at the ground in front of him, ignoring some of the Kokiri children as they tried to greet him, and leaving them slightly confused. Whatever he had been doing, it was obvious it hadn't improved his state of mind. Sighing, she went inside her own house, forcing herself to take the Great Deku Tree's advice instead of running up to Link and demanding he tell her what had happened.

She changed into her white night tunic and crawled into her bed. Lighting the candle at her bedside table, she reached behind the bed, pulling out her journal. Opening it to the latest page, she began to write. Liyme flew out from her roost in Saria's hair, fluttering over to sit lightly on the edge of the journal.

Her shimmering pink wings waved slightly as she sat on the edge of the book. "Try not to worry too much, Saria," she said. "I'm sure things will work out okay, just as the Great Deku Tree said."

Looking up, Saria smiled at her tiny naked companion. "Thank you, Liyme. I can't help but worry, though. He's acting so unlike himself."

"It's not your fault though," Liyme said. "Just keep smiling like you always do, okay?"

Saria nodded. "Okay, Liyme. I will."

The pink fairy nodded with satisfaction, and fluttered back into the air. "I'm going to sleep now," she said, flying down to land on the corner of Saria's pillow and curling up. "Good night."

"Good night, Liyme," Saria said.


	7. Chapter 6

_A/N: Ohmigosh. I'm so excited by how far this story has come. Thank you so so much to everyone who has been reading it! It makes me so happy!! _

Chapter 6:

Malon shivered slightly. She lay on a cold, hard surface, and her body felt heavy and uncomfortable. Something tickled the bare skin on her upper arm, causing her to twitch. It tickled her arm again, and she realized that the sensation was someone lightly stroking her arm, and her eyes slowly blinked open. She raised her head with effort, still feeling groggy from sleep. Turning her head sideways, she saw the figure of a man sitting beside her, his long pale fingers stroking her arm repeatedly.

Her body jerked roughly as she came to her senses, moving as quickly from him as she could, staring into his hooded face with wide fearful eyes. Her memories slowly came back to her. Ladarius had come to the ranch, and the next thing she knew, darkness had covered her eyes, and she had lost consciousness. Now here she was, waking in a dark, unfamiliar place, with Ladarius sitting right beside her, stroking her arm. She shivered at the thought of him being so close this whole time. He could have done anything to her, and she might not have known. A cold, sick feeling pooled in her stomach. How long had she been out? What if he had done something to her? She focused her senses on her body. She felt no different, except a little cold and sore, which was understandable if she had been sleeping in this room for any length of time.

"Don't worry. I haven't done anything to you," Ladarius said, watching her reactions to her own thoughts with a slight smirk. "It is inappropriate for a man to touch a woman if they are unmarried. I am a gentleman."

The sick feeling in Malon's stomach did not go away, only increased. It was as though he had read exactly what she was thinking. She stared at him with new fear, bringing another smirk.

"Don't worry," Ladarius said, rising in a smooth, fluid motion to his feet. "I'm going to give you a second chance."

Malon cringed further away from him as his gaze rested upon her. Her mind did not even seem to be processing whatever it was he had just said. She could only feel his eyes boring into her, and she longed to escape from his cold presence.

Ladarius' eyes lingered on her for a moment, and then he turned away and crossed to the opposite side of the room, where a heavy, iron door was set in the corner. Pulling it open, he exited the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Malon heard a click echoing from the other side of the door, and then she was alone.

All at once, her senses seemed to return to her. Her eyes darted about the room she sat in, taking in her surroundings. The only light leaked in from a slit near the ceiling of the wall she leaned against, leaving the room a gloomy grey color, and giving out only enough for her to barely see her hand if she held it out in front of her. Pulling herself to her feet, she began to slide her feet carefully across the floor, feeling the air around her with her hands for any unseen obstacles. Eventually she reached the corner of the room farthest from the door, and made out a single bed pushed against the wall.

Sitting down on it, she let her mind begin to work everything out. She had been kidnapped by Ladarius, and taken to the goddesses knew where. She snorted. And he had called himself a gentleman? What kind of a gentleman went around kidnapping young, defenseless girls and locking them up in dark rooms?

She let her eyes survey the darkness surrounding her once again. She would like to just sit here, on this less than comfortable bed. Perhaps Link would come to save her, like in her dreams. She knew better, though. Being rescued by a knight in shining armor was reserved for fair princesses locked away in a tower, not for coarse, redheaded farm girls. The one thing Malon had learned from life was that she had to fend for herself if she wanted to survive, and that was what she would continue to do.

What had Ladarius said? He would give her a second chance? She shivered. Whatever he meant by that, she was sure it wasn't anything she would like.

---

Zelda paced back and forth across the floor of her bedroom, occasionally pausing to glance at the clock beside her bed. The time read fifteen o' two. The message should have reached Link now, right? She tapped her foot against the floor, and began pacing again. She heard the sound of the door handle turning, and practically jumped on Impa as the Sheikah entered the room.

"Have you heard anything? Did he send a reply?" Zelda asked, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

Impa placed her hands on the girl's shoulders, holding her steady. "Princess, calm down," she said.

Zelda obeyed, stopping her bouncing, and looking up into her nursemaid's face. "Well?" she said.

Impa sighed. "The messenger who delivered the message returned a few minutes ago. He said there was no reply."

Zelda's face fell, and her eyes dropped to the floor. She had known this would be the result, no matter how much she had hoped against it. "I see," she said.

"I'm sorry, Zelda," Impa said in a consoling voice. "Perhaps he'll come anyway."

"Yes," Zelda said. Two days had already passed since her argument with Link, and she had neither seen nor heard from him since. She had hoped Link would come to her coming of age ball, now no longer for only his company, but because they had things to discuss. A message had arrived from Ren earlier that morning, and she wanted to talk to Link about it. She wouldn't be able to, though, if he didn't show up.

Impa's brow creased with worry at the young princess's torment. Whatever was bothering Zelda, Impa knew it was more than simple pouting that Link had not replied to her message. She wished Zelda would tell her what was wrong, but she did not press it. As Daphnes had said, she would open up when she was ready.

---

"Link, what does this mean?" Saria asked gently, coming to sit by Link on his bed, where he lay still clothed in the tunic from two days ago. He had not moved from that spot since his walk in the Lost Woods.

Link did not move or reply. He only remained staring blankly at the ceiling. Saria sighed, and took his hand in hers. "Link, please tell me," she said. "I want to help you."

Still he did not move, and Saria sighed. She glanced at the discarded parchment lying on the floor, and bending to pick it up, she read over it once again. It was from Princess Zelda, saying that Ren had sent a message, telling her what he had learned about Malon and Ladarius, and that he would not be able to come until late the day of Zelda's coming of age ball. She wanted to make sure Link was coming, so that they could talk about Ren's message.

Saria sighed, and lay the sheet of parchment next to Link's hand, where he could easily grab it. She had read it aloud to him when he had refused to take it, but perhaps he would read over it himself once she was gone. Standing up, she reluctantly left the tree house, leaving Link on his own.

She was so worried about him. He had not moved from his bed at all the past two days, and he had refused to eat or drink anything. From the ever darkening bruises around his eyes, Saria could tell he was not sleeping well, if at all. How much longer could he last this way? Sighing, she walked back to her own house and climbed into bed for another restless night herself.

---

Ren ran into his bedroom as the early light of dawn streamed in through the windows, grabbing a dark blue jacket out of the mahogany wardrobe beside his bed, he threw it on over his white linen shirt, combing his fingers through his hair. He needed to get to the castle as soon as possible, so he wouldn't miss the ball. He knew Zelda would be eager to hear in more detail what he had told her of his visit to Ladarius's house in the letter, and she was probably contacting Link this very moment, if she wasn't with him, which he had a feeling she wasn't. He had other matters to deal with, much more important than consoling his cousin's curiosity.

Running out of the room, he hurried down the hallways of his mansion, ignoring the servants' calls to him. He did not slow his pace until he reached the stables, and climbed onto his favorite horse, a dark grey stallion with patches of white around his hooves. He had only so much time to get there, and he had to make it in time, no matter what.

He rode away from the mansion, and sent the stallion galloping in the direction of Hyrule Castle.

---

"Breathe in, Your Highness," the seamstress ordered, pulling the strings of the corset so tight that Zelda felt her ribs would burst.

"It…hurts," she gasped, trying not to cry out as the seamstress tightened the strings yet again.

"Beauty costs. You're a woman now, My Lady," the seamstress said in reply.

At last, the woman finished tying the corset, leaving Zelda feeling short-winded and bearing sharp stabs of pain in her chest. Not resting a moment, the seamstress began to pull the gown over Zelda's head. The gown was long, trailing the floor a foot behind Zelda. Behind her, the seamstress fastened the buttons at the back of the dress.

"There," the woman said, once she was finished. "Now, have a look, Highness." She turned Zelda to face the floor length mirror set beside her.

Zelda felt her breath draw in. She looked like a completely different person. The neckline was cut lower than anything she had ever worn before, coming across her chest just above the crevice between the small peaks of her developing breasts. The deep blue silk of the gown made her white skin seem even whiter, and flowed down her body to a beautiful, thin waist, where it flared out slightly, until it reached the floor. The dress held only a few of the many ruffles she was accustomed to, making her look much more mature than ever before. As the seamstress had mentioned, bows and ruffles were the symbol of childhood, and Zelda was no longer a child.

Zelda's hair was worn loose over her shoulders, curled only slightly in the front so that it hung in delicate half-curls over her shoulders, and the rest hung straight down to the middle of her back. A single, thin blue ribbon was tied loosely through a small portion of her hair, so that it rested as a graceful decoration on the side of her head, the ends hanging down to blend in with the soft, golden hair.

"You see, Your Highness? You look so lovely now," the seamstress said, smiling at the young woman before her with a pleased look at her work.

Zelda suddenly felt a wave of guilt. What was she doing, staring at herself in the mirror, when something horrible could be happening to Malon this very instant. She quickly hid the troubled look that crossed her face, but the seamstress seemed not to have noticed, and turned away to gather her sewing materials. With a swift curtsy to the princess, the woman left the room with a proud stride.

Zelda fingered the golden Triforce pendant hung around her neck. She hoped that Link would come today, even though she doubted he would. Her eyes drifted to the floor beneath her, and she stared unseeing at it, lost in thought.

"Princess!" a voice broke into her thoughts as a young servant girl hurried into the room. "Your Highness, the ball is about to start. His Majesty wants you to come to the ballroom so you can greet your guests."

Nodding, Zelda followed the frantic girl into the hallway and to the ballroom, where her father waited for her at the end of the grand staircase, looking extremely nervous. She hurried up to him. "I'm here, Daddy," she said, and he looked at her, smiling with relief written all over his face.

Zelda stood beside her father, waiting for the guests to arrive, but her thoughts remained elsewhere.

---

Saria peered into the dim tree house. "Link, the ball is about to start soon," she said to the figure lying on the bed. He had moved to his side now, and she saw the sheet of parchment lying on the floor again.

Quietly, she crept into the room. "If you go now, you might not be too late. I'm sure Zelda wants you to be there."

Link moved his eyes up to look at her. What was the point in going anyway? He saw no reason to bother.

Saria waited for another moment or two, then turned and left the tree house. It was just as well. He wished everyone would just leave him alone. He had long gotten used to the empty feeling in his stomach from not eating. It had nearly gone away by now. He was perfectly content to just lie here, and never go anywhere again. Then he wouldn't be able to screw anything else up. He would never be able to screw anything up again.

---

Hours passed by at the ball, as Zelda paced the room, her eyes still searching for Link, still hoping that he would come. She was obliged to dance with various men now and then, some of them older, some of them closer to her age. She hated it, too. She hardly knew any dances, and the ones she did know she was clumsy at, having skipped out on many dance lessons to do other things. She knew Daphnes was embarrassed. She knew as well that he had been hoping to find her a suitor today, and he was probably thinking that no one would want to marry a girl who danced so poorly, even if she was a beautiful princess.

Zelda wasn't worried about that right now though. Normally, she would have been angry at him for trying to find her a suitor, but the thought barely crossed her mind. She wished that Link would come today, so that they could talk about Ren's letter. She was frightened by what he had written. He said he had seen something in the window, and he was afraid something terrible was going to happen tonight. She wished as well that Ren would get here. She needed a companion to console her right now, someone who knew what was going on. Instead, she felt alone in this wild sea of stiff aristocrats, who worried about nothing more than if their hair or their clothing looked alright.

Heading over to the punch bowl, Zelda grabbed a glass of it and sipped at it. She looked around, and spotted a servant carrying a silver platter of h'orderves, and hurried up to him. "Excuse me," she said.

The servant stared at her, looking terrified that the princess was talking to him. "Y-yes, Your Highness?" he stammered nervously.

"I was wondering if you could tell me what time it was," Zelda said.

"Oh, um, it's almost sixteen thirty, I believe, Your Highness," the servant replied, still looking nervous.

"Thank you," Zelda said, turning away from him and heading back to her father, who was now conversing with an elderly couple.

As she drew closer, Zelda recognized the man as the one who had tried to throw Link out of her birthday party. He seemed to remember this incident as well, for when he caught sight of her, he hastily paid his pardons to the king, and nearly dragged his wife away as quickly as possible.

The king laid his hand on his forehead, sending a glance at the tall ceiling before looking down at his daughter. "How are you faring, Zelda?" he asked.

"You look awful, Daddy," Zelda said, not bothering to answer the question. "You should try to relax."

"That's what Impa said this morning, but I just don't seem to be able to," Daphnes replied. "Where is Renaldo? He said he had some urgent business to attend to, but he should have returned by now. Surely he realizes how important this is."

"I'm sure he has a good reason, Daddy," Zelda put in quickly.

Daphnes looked at her. "Do you know what this is about, Zelda?" he asked in a low voice.

Zelda bit her lip. "No, of course not, father," she said. "I'm going to go get some punch now."

She hurried away from him, heading in the opposite direction of the punch bowl. Why did she have to be such a terrible liar? She could feel the king's curious gaze on her. She looked around for something to distract herself with.

Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around Zelda's chest, holding her in a firm grip, and a thin hand grabbed her throat, choking off what little air supply she had left. Out of instinct, her hands quickly moved up to tear at the hand closed around her throat, as black terror took her over, removing all thought so that she was unaware of the shrieking that suddenly filled the room, and the armed guards that ran up to her, their spears and swords aimed at her kidnapper.

"Don't move," a cold voice said above her head, and something sharp pressed against her side, "or she dies here."

The guards froze in place, watching the man holding their princess with angry stares, while around them the guests of the ball watched fearfully the scene playing out before them. His face white with fear, King Daphnes stared with horror at the sight before him, of his precious daughter at the instance of death.

"Who are you?" the king managed to choke out, somehow keeping his voice calm and steady. "What do you want with my daughter."

"Now, now, King Daphnes," the man said. "Don't worry. As long as you behave and do as I tell you, your precious daughter will be just fine."

"What do you want then?" Daphnes asked. "Is it money? Treasure? You can have as much as you want."

"Oh no, I want nothing of those sorts," the man replied. "If you wish to see your daughter alive, bring the boy Link to her prison in eight days. Your little nephew will know where to go. If that boy has not shown by the morning of the eighth day, I will kill her."

Keeping the point of the dagger pressed against the princess's side, the man carried her out of the room, his eyes remaining on the guards, daring them to try anything. He disappeared through the doorway, and the doors slammed shut behind him, as if of their own accord.

Moments of terror-filled silence filled the room, before life began to breathe itself back among the people, and whispers of panic began to arise. Impa hurried over to the king from her place at the back of the room, and placed a supporting hand on his shoulder as he stumbled backwards. Her own face was much paler than its normal tan shade, and she looked as though she would be sick, despite herself.

Regaining his composure, Daphnes straightened up, shaking Impa's hand off of his shoulder. "Guards," he said, and two guards hurried up to him immediately. "Ready my stallion. We are riding to the Kokiri Forest."

The guards bowed, and immediately hurried off to complete the task.

Daphnes heard one of the doors slamming shut again, and turned to see Ren running breathlessly across the room towards him. His hair was messed, and his shirt was partially untucked. Taking a look around the room, Ren took in everything that had just happened.

"Oh no," he moaned, leaning his head in his hands. "I was too late."

---

"Link! Get up!" Saria cried, rushing into the tree house.

Inwardly, Link groaned. Why wouldn't she just leave him alone?

"Link, the King of Hyrule is here, and he's demanding to see you," Saria said breathlessly.

That almost caught Link's attention. King Daphnes was here?

"Link, that Ladarius guy has kidnapped Zelda, as well as Malon, and if you don't show up he's going to kill Zelda. The goddesses only know what he'll do to Malon," Saria said. "Link you have to get up. Please."

Slowly, Link sat up, letting the black velvet subside from his eyes before standing up on wobbly legs, weak from hunger and lack of use. Seeing this, Saria rushed over, and placed his arm around her shoulders, supporting him as they walked across the tree house out onto the balcony. Saria helped him lower himself onto the ladder, and watched him nervously as he climbed down, relaxing only when he reached the ground safely, and climbing down after him.

Link steadied himself as best he could, and looked up to see the king standing outside his tree house beside a tall war horse, and three guards on horseback flanking him. "Link, that cursed man has taken Zelda. You must go save her," Daphnes said.

Link stared at the ground beside the king's feet. "I can't," he said simply, turning to head back into his tree house. Many curious Kokiri began to gather around, easing closer to hear what was going on.

Saria grabbed his arm. "Link, what are you saying?"

Link shrugged her off. "There's nothing I can do anyway," he said. "I may as well just leave things alone, before I make them even worse."

Daphnes frowned, glaring sternly at the boy before him. "I did not know the proclaimed Hero of Time was such a coward," he said.

"You don't even remember that," Link said. "No one does. What's the point of trying to live up to something I'm not?"

"Link, don't say that!" Saria said. "I remember, and so do all of the Sages. And Zelda remembers. Link, for her sake, and for Malon's sake, for the sake of Hyrule, you have to do this!"

"Hmph. Let him be a coward if he wants," Mido said, pushing forward in front of the other Kokiri, arms crossed against his chest. "He always was an annoying little brat anyway."

Saria whipped around to face Mido, her face angry. "Mido! How dare you say something like that!" she shouted. "I'm so tired of you always teasing him, and you have to pick now to continue?"

"It's okay, Saria," Link said, looking up with a grin to look Mido in the eye. "Go yourself, then. I'm sure you'll do a fine job of being a hero yourself. Go on. See how easy it is, especially when everyone forgets all about you, and they only call on you when they're in trouble."

"Link, you know that isn't true! Stop it!" Saria said.

"Stop it, all of you," a strong female voice said, breaking through all other noise and echoing throughout the forest.

Kokiri and Hylians alike turned their faces to stare at the owner of the voice. A young woman stood there, clothed in a graceful green dress, covering the contours of her body, which glowed with a faint golden light. Green hair fell around her shoulders and hung loose down her back, wrapping around her like beautiful green leaves on a vine.

"Lady Farore," the Kokiri breathed at once, falling onto their knees, their faces lowered to the grounds, leaving only Mido, Saria, and the Hylians standing.

They Hylians stared in disbelief at the woman standing before them, and Mido's mouth dropped open. Saria's wide green eyes stared at the goddess, and she slowly sunk to her knees as well, pulling Mido down with her.

The goddess walked forward to Link, until she stood just in front of him. She was tall. The top of Link's head did not even reach her shoulders. She lifted a graceful, golden hand up to Link's chest, and placed it there, over his heart. A warm, tingling sensation traveled through his whole body, and Link could only stare up at her.

"This is the heart of the one I have chosen to bear my mark," Farore said, looking into Link's blue eyes with her own, endless green ones. "Though it has been hidden, buried by dark magic much too strong for one so young to bear, it is still there, beating strong. Life has not left it yet." She still held Link's gaze as she reached down and gently held up his left hand. "If you do not believe me, then look at my mark. It is right there."

Link looked down at the back of his left hand. Slowly, dim at first, then growing brighter, the Triforce symbol on his hand appeared.

"Now go," Farore said. "You are the one that I have chosen, and I am with you."

Beams of golden light shot out of her body, and she disappeared, leaving her audience staring breathlessly at the place where she had stood. Link stared at the symbol on the back of his hand, then slowly he lowered his hand. His strength felt renewed from the touch of the goddess, and he began to climb back up the ladder to his tree house.

"Link, where are you going?" Saria called after him, standing up. Could it be that after all that, he was still refusing to rescue Zelda and Malon?

"I'm going to get my sword and shield," Link called back down from the balcony, hurrying into his house.

Saria smiled wide, feeling her heart lighten as though a weight had been lifted from it. Finally, the Link she knew was back.

"Hey, uh, Saria."

Saria turned to glare at Mido, her hands on her hips. "What?" she snapped.

Mido shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "About, uh, about earlier…I was just, uh, trying to help," he said.

"Well, you certainly have an interesting way of showing it," Saria said, turning her back on him.

Mido's usual frown returned to his face, and he stalked away. Faia, a Kokiri girl with bright blond hair always worn in pigtails, giggled at him, and a little timidly, some of the other Kokiri followed suit.

Link reappeared out of his tree house, sword and shield slung across his back, and jumped off the balcony. His face was set in determination. He was through being such a coward. He was the Hero of Time, and not even his nightmares were going to hold him back.

He followed Daphnes and his guards out of the forest, and once they were in the field, pulled out his ocarina and played Epona's Song. He mounted the mare, and the five Hylians galloped in the direction of the castle.

"Why are we going back to the castle?" Link asked Daphnes.

The king glanced at Link, riding beside him. "Ren said the ride will take almost a full day," he replied. "We need to make sure everyone is well rested and ready for the ride. We will spend the night at the castle tonight, and head out first thing in the morning."

Link turned so that he faced forward. "Aren't you worried?" he asked cautiously after a moment.

Daphnes brow creased in response. "As a king, one learns to put one's own problems aside for the benefit of the kingdom. It is a difficult job, but one that must be done," he said. "You may learn this yourself, one day."

Frowning, Link nodded. The rush of strength and courage he had felt from his encounter with Farore seemed to be quickly dissipating. He suddenly felt very afraid that he would not be able to do anything to save Zelda or Malon. An image of Malon floated across his vision, her face brightened by a smile, her red hair hanging in waves around her shoulders. How could he have been so willing to give up on her? Wasn't she supposed to be his best friend?

His vision cleared, returning to the darkening sky over Hyrule Field, and the outline of Hyrule Castle in the distance. He suddenly felt very strange. It was a feeling he could not quite explain, yet he was almost certain he had felt it before, though he couldn't think of when. A different kind of courage seemed to be flowing through him now, pushing him onward, knowing that tomorrow he would ride out to save not only the Princess of Hyrule, but a friend that was very dear to him.


	8. Chapter 7

_A/N: Yep. So after two months, it's finally here. I'm so excited!!! I've been so out of the loop lately though, I had trouble writing this chapter. I think it got better near the end, but I worry that I did rather poorly near the beginning. Warning, this is not a very happy chapter. Okay, they haven't exactly been happy the past couple, but this one doesn't improve on the dark mood. I had fun, though. Ok, done rambling. Enjoy!_

Chapter 7:

For a long moment, Zelda stayed sitting on the cold floor after Ladarius dropped her carelessly in the black room, shutting the door behind him, and leaving her alone. Her throat still throbbed from the feeling of strong, hard fingers pressing against it, and she raised her hand once again to her neck, carefully touching the tender spot. Never before had she been so terrified in her life, as the moment when Ladarius's hand had cut off her air supply, her source of life. Even when Ganondorf had kidnapped her, trapping her in that tiny crystal of light, she had not felt that complete and utter fear, as though she hung on the instant of death, her life moments away from ending if she did not get that one precious, most needed thing—air. She felt amazed, exhausted. She had never realized before how she took that one vital thing for granted.

She barely remembered the trip to this place Ladarius had taken her, wherever that was, but she thought it hadn't taken very long at all. She thought maybe she could remember dark tendrils of light surrounding them as Ladarius drug her from the ballroom, as though Ladarius had used some dark magic to teleport them. That was probably the case.

Zelda suddenly felt a terrible weight pressing down on her, as though all her fears and worries from the past few weeks were surfacing from the depths of her heart, engulfing her all at once. She leaned over, her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach, and a sound, crossing between a sob and a moan, escaped her throat. she clenched her eyes shut tightly as tears leaked out from them, as though by closing her eyes she could block all the troubles of the world.

A soft rustle coming from the back corner of the room snapped her back to her senses, and she straightened, her ears alert as she peered into the gloom, searching for the source of the sound. Another rustle reached her ears, and the sound of something scraping against the floor.

"Who's there?" a familiar voice asked.

Zelda felt her eyes widen. "Malon?" she asked softly, her voice barely reaching above a whisper.

There was a silent pause before the voice spoke again. "Zelda? Is that you?"

Zelda's heart skipped a beat, as relief at the presence of someone, anyone, familiar washed over her. She stood shakily to her feet. "Malon!" Her voice cracked as she uttered this last word, and she ran blindly across the room, throwing herself at Malon's dark figure and burying her face in Malon's tattered, dirty dress as tears streamed down her face once again.

Malon sat in shock for a moment, not sure how to react as the Princess of Hyrule clung to her, her body wrenching with sobs. Hesitantly, Malon reached up to stroke Zelda's hair, unsure of how to comfort the crying girl.

"I-it's okay, Zelda," she mumbled. "It's okay."

---

Link sat up with a jolt after a long and restless night, fear wrenching him for what seemed like the hundredth time that he had somehow managed to over sleep the eight day limit. He jumped out of the soft, cushiony bed, hurrying over to the window and flinging the curtains back. A few stars still twinkled in the sky as the gray light of dawn slowly began to creep in. He leaned his hands against the windowsill, breathing hard and trying to convince himself there was no way he had slept for seven days.

Try as he might, he couldn't seem to fully convince himself he hadn't overslept such a length of time, and finally he forced himself back to the bed, sitting down on the edge. He began to pull on his boots. There was no sense trying to go back to sleep at this point. Dawn would come soon.

Link pulled his hat on his head and crossed to a large chest on the other side of the room. He had slept in his clothes, so he wouldn't have as much to do getting ready that morning. He opened the chest, in which he had regretfully stowed his sword and shield, at Impa's insistence. He would have preferred to sleep with them right beside his bed, but Impa said he needed to relax as much as possible, so he would be well rested for the journey. Link snorted as he grabbed the sword, pulling it slightly out of its sheath and examining the blade before slinging it over his shoulder. So much for being well rested. He had barely slept a wink.

He grabbed the shield, slinging it across his back as well, and closed the trunk, glaring at it with agitation. Stupid Impa. He would have slept better if he'd had his equipment within close reach. Well, maybe. Then again, he might have spent the night reaching for his sword in paranoia at every creak and sound he heard.

Link glanced up at the window again. Sure enough, the sky had already lightened quite a bit. Dawn was soon approaching. He opened the door to the bedroom, crossing out into the hallway. King Daphnes had instructed Link to wait in the room until someone came to fetch him, but he couldn't stand being cooped up in that room anymore. He strode through the corridors, making his way back to the entrance of the castle.

Daphnes stood before the entrance, dressed in light armor, his back turned to Link. He tapped his foot a few times, fidgeting with his clothing, his sword, his hair. After a moment, he began to pace the small area, still fidgeting nervously. He stopped as he turned and his dark gray eyes fell on Link. "Couldn't sleep either?" he asked hoarsely.

Link just shook his head. He couldn't think of anything to say. His sudden rush of courage from the previous day had all but disappeared. He felt terrified, more scared than ever in his life. True, he had faced more and fiercer battles than many men four or five times his age, but never before had any of them meant the lives of people he loved if he failed. The only time that had come close was when Ganondorf kidnapped Zelda. He remembered the terrified feeling in his heart as Ganondorf's crystal enclosed her, and she disappeared before his very eyes. He closed his eyes, trying to calm the pounding of his heart. He felt very much the same now. Perhaps those two times were not so different after all.

"Link," Daphnes said, breaking the boy from his thoughts. Link opened his eyes to look at Daphnes.

"We'll be leaving soon," Daphnes said. "Are you ready?"

Link nodded, his left hand rising up instinctively to grip the hilt of his sword. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "I'm ready," he said.

The echo of feet running sounded down the corridor to their right, and Link and Daphnes turned to see Ren running down the hall. Like the king, he wore light armor, and a sword hung around his waist. Judging by the dark circles under his eyes and the grim look on his normally cheerful face, Link guessed Ren had not slept well either.

"I've assembled the guards who will be accompanying us," Ren said to Daphnes. "We're ready to go."

"Good. Then let us be off," Daphnes said.

Link and Ren followed Daphnes across the already lowered drawbridge to the outside of the castle, where three soldiers stood waiting with six horses, one of which was Epona. The mare whinnied as she caught sight of her master approaching, and trotted up to him, nuzzling his shoulder. Link stroked her face.

"Are you doing okay?" Ren said quietly, standing behind Link.

Looking over his shoulder, Link met Ren's concerned face. He nodded.

"Scared?" Ren asked. Again, Link nodded.

"Me too," Ren said, his blue eyes clouding over as he looked up at the sky. He looked down at Link with a grin, patting Link's shoulder. "It's a good thing Malon and Zelda have the Hero of Time to count on."

Link blushed slightly, turning his face back to Epona. "Yeah," he said awkwardly.

Ren patted Link's shoulder once again, and turned to Daphnes, who had already mounted his own steed. "Ready to go, Your Majesty?" he asked.

"Ready," Daphnes said.

Ren turned to the guards. "Everyone mount! Prepare to ride!" he called out to them, walking over to his own horse and climbing on.

Link climbed onto Epona's back, feeling some slight reassurance from her strong, sturdy back. He patted her neck affectionately. "Let's go, Epona," he whispered to her, as Ren led the six people away from Hyrule Castle.

---

Malon sat against the wall of the room in front of the single bed holding Zelda's sleeping figure. After what seemed like an eternity of crying into Malon's shoulders, the young princess had finally run out of tears, and fallen into a fitful sleep. After everything that she imagined had happened to the princess, Malon knew Zelda was probably exhausted, and had silently moved off of the bed, covering the girl with the thin sheet.

Malon herself had spent most of the night with her thoughts rambling around, sleeping only when she nodded off for a moment. Why had Ladarius brought Zelda here as well? She could only think of one possibility, and the thought of it made her cringe. She glanced at Zelda, wishing she would wake up so they could talk about it, but still, Zelda remained asleep.

Malon pulled her knees up to her chest, burying her head in them. The silence was overwhelming her. She didn't think she could bear it any longer.

Zelda opened her eyes, blinking in the gray darkness. For a moment, she could not think of where she was, and then her memory came rushing back to her. She squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face in the sad excuse for a pillow. She wanted to forget everything. She wished she would just wake up, and find herself in her own room, and everything had been a dream. Stupid Ladarius. Her hands clenched into fists, which she slammed against the mattress.

"It's not fair!" she screamed, her voice muffled by the pillow.

Malon looked up, startled by the sudden sound of Zelda's voice. She hadn't even noticed Zelda stirring.

Zelda pushed herself into a sitting position. "It's not fair!" she said again, and her voice bounced off the walls of the room.

Malon stared at this sudden outburst from the princess. She looked on the verge of crying again, but this time no tears came, only a fierce anger.

"Why does he even have to exist?" Zelda cried. "I hate him! It isn't fair. It isn't fair!"

"I hate him too," Malon said.

Zelda jumped, looking down at Malon, as if only just aware of the other girl's presence. Malon's face mirrored Zelda's emotions as she stared at the wall ahead of her. Finally, she sighed, and leaned her head back against the wall. "We have to get out of here," she whispered.

Zelda nodded. "But how?"

Malon shook her head. "Aren't you the Sage of Wisdom? You tell me."

Zelda rested her hands on her lap, staring down at them. The Sage of Wisdom. Sometimes she forgot. She didn't feel very wise. She hadn't felt wise since…She paused, moving her mind back. When had her wisdom disappeared? Her eyebrows scrunched with thought, and then the realization hit her.

"Ladarius," she said softly.

Malon looked up at her, a look of clear confusion covering her face. "What?"

"Ladarius," Zelda repeated. "I see now. He sealed away the Triforce of Wisdom, somehow. He's been clouding my thoughts with dark magic. That's why I haven't been thinking clearly." She held up her left hand, staring at the back of it. "I hadn't even noticed."

Malon stood up, peering down at the back of Zelda's hand as well. "I don't see anything," she said after a moment.

"That's just it," Zelda said. "Look closer. The seal must have weakened. I think I've broken it. Look!"

Malon looked at Zelda's hand again. Slowly, but surely, a faint golden light began to shine from it, dim at first, and slowly growing stronger, until the image of the Triforce appeared brightly on the back of Zelda's hand. "Wow," Malon breathed. She looked up at Zelda. "So he sealed away your wisdom? Do you think he did the same to Link?"

Zelda nodded. "And probably more so." She frowned. "He hates Link so much."

"Is it because of me?" Malon asked slowly.

Zelda looked up, and her eyes met with Malon's. She lowered her hand onto the bed, and looked down into her lap. She nodded. "Most likely."

Malon's face fell. "I thought so," she said, sitting back down against the wall. "And now that he's kidnapped you, he's insured Link will come here."

"Me? He would've come here without a second thought for you. There must be another reason Ladarius brought me here," Zelda said.

Malon shook her head. "I doubt it. He barely notices me. I can't blame him though, when he's in love with the Princess of Hyrule."

Zelda stared at Malon. "You think Link is in love with me?" Her heart hammered in her chest. Was he? Mentally, she shook herself. She had to get a grip. She couldn't let her feelings get in the way.

"How could he not be?" Malon said, shrugging. "You're beautiful, you're rich. For the goddesses sake, you're a princess! And you and he share something I could never share with him."

Zelda suddenly found herself climbing down from the bed to sit beside Malon. "I don't think what Link feels for me is love," she said. "At least, not the truest, deepest kind. It's true that we share something most people don't, but I think that's all we could ever have." She stopped for a moment, her voice cracking as she spoke.

Malon looked at Zelda as she took in deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Was she about to cry?

"It's like you said," Zelda said at last. "When Link looks at me, he sees a beautiful princess. Someone who shares memories with him that very few others do. But one day, that's going to fade away. There will be new memories, things that only one person will share with him, and he'll forget about me. He won't—" She broke off as tears started to pour down her cheeks, and she buried her face in her hands. "He won't love me anymore!" she cried.

Malon stared wide-eyed at Zelda. Standing up, she walked over to Zelda, and wrapped her arms around Zelda's shoulders. "You're wrong," she said. "I don't think what you two share can fade away that easily. Link sees more than just a princess in you. He sees someone he cares about, and who understands him like no one else does. How could he forget that?"

Zelda let out a half-sob, half-laugh, leaning her head against Malon's shoulder. Here she was again, crying into the shoulder of a girl she barely knew. Why was this always happening? She sniffed, sitting up. Malon released her, and she wiped her tear-stained face with her hands.

"Enough about this," Zelda said. "We have to figure out some way to get out of here."

---

They rode for several hours, through parts of Hyrule even Link had never seen before. Ren rode up front, leading the way, while Daphnes hovered closely behind and Link behind the king. The three guards rode behind the others, spread out so that they flanked them on all sides.

The sun hung in the sky, beating down on Link's back. Sweat dripped down his body and dampening his hair, and his tunic already clung to his body. He breathed deeply, focusing his eyes on the horizon ahead of them. The group had already stopped for a couple of short breaks, which had been spent with much nervous pacing and fidgeting on the parts of the king and Link, and Ren sitting on the grass watching the sky, his face pinched with anxiety.

Link wished they could go faster, but he knew it would be unwise. They couldn't risk overworking the horses. He grimaced as the sun moved through the sky. Already it was nearing dusk. He felt like they had barely made any distance at all, and soon they would have to stop for the night. He hated that. For all he knew, Malon and Zelda could be dying right now, or already dead. There was no way of knowing if Ladarius would keep his word. He could just be toying with them, leading them on to think there was hope, only to crush them at the very end. It seemed like just the sort of cruel, sadistic thing he would do.

Link shook his head. He hated thinking about such possibilities. Both Malon and Zelda were dear to him. He couldn't imagine losing either of them. His heart wrenched with pain at the very thought, so much that he nearly fell off of his horse.

As if sensing this, Ren glanced back at Link and pulled the group to a halt. "Let's stop here for the night," he said.

The men set up camp at the area. Link looked around at their surroundings again as he sat on the ground, picking at his portion of food. No trees broke the scenery from what he could see, only miles of grass, grass, and more grass. It seemed so bland and dreary, especially with the gray black of twilight settling in on them.

Ren came up to him, and took a seat beside him. "We've made more progress than I expected," he said. "We should probably be there by noon tomorrow."

"Really?" Link said, looking at Ren.

Ren smiled and nodded. "The sooner the better."

"Yeah," Link agreed. He took a sip from his water sack.

"You should probably sleep," Ren suggested.

Link nodded his agreement, though he wasn't sure he would be able to. He set the plate of barely touched food down and went for his sleeping bag, which was slung across Epona's back.

He laid the sleeping bag out on the ground, and curled up on it. As he had expected, he lay awake for hours, staring up at the night sky, while the other also tried to sleep. At last, at some point he fell asleep, until dawn when Daphnes shook him awake.

"Link, we're getting ready to leave," the king said.

Link nodded, and sat up. He needed no convincing. He slung his sword and shield over his back, pulling on his boots and hat, and started to roll up the sleeping bag, when one of the guards yelled.

"There are monsters headed this way!" the guard yelled, pointing at a dark cloud in the distance, moving quickly towards them.

Reacting immediately, Link, Ren, and Daphnes grabbed their swords, holding them ready for battle.

"Sent by Ladarius?" Daphnes asked.

"Probably," Ren said. "But why? I don't see what his intentions are."

"He's a jerk," Link said, glaring at the monsters. He felt adrenaline surging through his body as around fifteen giant monsters came into their view. His mouth felt dry with fear, but he'd decided he was ready for whatever Ladarius sent their way. "What else do you need to know?" He drew his sword sliding it out of the sheeth.

The others drew their swords as well, and the guards held their spears up, ready for battle as the monsters surged upon them.

They were different from anything Link had ever fought before. There were six of them; one for each person. They took on the shape of some sort of cross a giant keese and a vulture. They stared down at the six people opposing them with beady black eyes filled with blood lust.

One of them lunged at Link, its body moving surprisingly fast and narrowly missing his arm as he dodged the razor sharp beak. It stopped midflight and turned around to face Link again, it's ugly, bald head bobbing up and down on its long, wrinkly neck. It lunged again, but this time Link was ready for its speed, and he blocked with his shield, momentarily stunning the creature and knocking it backwards.

Taking advantage of the moment, Link brought his blade down on its neck, but the sword made barely a gash. Link grimaced. He hated monsters like this. Why was their skin so tough anyway? The bird screeched at Link, an ear-piercing cry that made Link cringe. It rose up high into the air, and then made a swan dive towards Link, pulling up at the last moment to attack with its claws instead. Muttering a curse, Link rolled out of the way, but one of the claws caught him in the shoulder, and he cursed again, this time from pain.

He felt warmth spreading over his arm, and knew it was from blood, but he wasn't worried about that right now. He had seen a spot on the monster's underside that was free from feathers, and from what he had glanced of it, looked quite delicate. It was worth a try. The bird rose into the air again, and Link readied himself, hoping it would repeat the same strategy after the success.

The bird made a dive at him, repeating the same move, and Link moved quickly, stabbing his sword into the patch he had spotted. The bird let out another screech, and deep black blood spilled onto Link as the bird fell to the ground with a crash, and at the same time, Link heard someone cry out.

Pulling his sword out of the bird's carcass, he whipped around, looking for whoever had made the cry. He heard another screech of one of the birds, and looking to the sound he saw Ren stumble, and fall onto his knees. A dark stain spread across the front of his shirt, and even from a distance, Link could tell it wasn't from the monster.

He rushed towards Ren, just as another dying screech sounded, and Daphnes came running towards him as well. "Renaldo!" Daphnes exclaimed, kneeling down beside his nephew. Link reached them, and kneeled down on Ren's other side.

Daphnes ripped Ren's shirt back, revealing a deep wound cut across his stomach. Blood gushed out of the wound, and Daphnes ripped part of his own shirt off, tying it tightly around Ren's stomach. "Did it get you with its beak?" Daphnes asked.

Ren nodded. Link stared with terror at the sight in front of him, suddenly unable to move as Ren coughed, and blood spattered from his mouth.

"Link, I have some ointments in my pack. Get them and bring them here," Daphnes ordered, and Link nodded, starting to run for the king's pack.

"Wait, don't," Ren said. Link paused, unsure of what to do.

"What are you saying, Ren?" Daphnes said. "You need medical treatment. Link, get the ointments."

Ren reached out, grabbing Link's wrist weakly. "Don't," he said. "We've already wasted enough time." He nodded at the guards, who were hurrying towards them as well, having defeated their own opponents. "Leave me with them, and you two go on ahead. Just keep heading west from here. You can't miss it."

Daphnes frowned, his brow creasing. After a moment, he stood up. "Very well," he said. He turned to the guards. "You three take care of him. Link, we'll go on ahead."

Link nodded, and hurried over to Epona, saddling her up. He cast a worried glance at Ren as he mounted, but the guards had moved quickly, and were already caring for him.

"Don't worry," Daphnes said, riding up beside Link. "All of our soldiers have some sort of first aid training. He'll be fine."

Link nodded, but Daphnes looked more like he was trying to convince himself. "Let's go," Daphnes said. Link followed Daphnes as he rode off, casting one last glance back at Ren.

---

The guards gently lay Ren on top of one of the sleeping bags. They had taken off his shirt, and wrapped clean bandages around the wound on his stomach. They had also fed Ren some red potion, hoping to close up the more serious aspects of the wound.

Ren closed his eyes, listening to the guards' worried banter as they walked away from him. He waited until their footsteps subsided a short distance away from him, then opened his eyes, pushing himself into a sitting position.

A grin spread across his face, and his eyes glittered malevolently. "At last," he whispered, his voice sinking to a low rasp.

He stood up, giving no care to his wound, and slowly approached the guards their backs turned to him. He held up his hand, and black began to swirl around it. "Imbeciles," he said, his voice loud enough that the guards could hear him. They turned around, reaching for their weapons, but stopped as they caught sight of Ren walking towards them, their eyes wide with shock.

"L-lord Renaldo!" one of them stuttered, and the grin on Ren's face widened.

"Renaldo?" he repeated. "Hmp. I am not this 'Lord Renaldo' you speak of." He held out his hand, and the darkness reached out towards the guards, wrapping in long fingers around their bodies. "I am Ladarius."


	9. Chapter 8 Final Chapter

_A/N: Alright, well first off, let me apologize for the very long hiatus. But, regardless, here it is at last! The final chapter!! I'm so excited! To everyone who reads this: Congratulations on being the ones to read the first fanfiction I have ever completed (and you have no idea how happy I am!! now I have to rub it in the faces of my friends who gave up hope on me ever finishing. bwa ha ha. success!!) Anyways, enjoy!_

Chapter 8—Final Chapter:

"Alright, now all we have to do is contact Link and give him his instructions," Zelda said. She and Malon still sat on the floor. They had just finished making their plans. For hours they had stayed awake, trying to figure out some way to escape their prison, but to no avail. The only way they would be able to get out was if Ladarius came back in, and neither of them thought it would be a good idea to count on that. So they had created a Plan B.

"Do you think you can do it?" Malon asked.

Zelda nodded. "Now that my powers aren't sealed anymore, I should be able to communicate with him telepathically," she replied. "We can only hope that it does work."

Malon nodded her understanding. She watched as Zelda lifted up the hand bearing the Triforce, holding it with her palm facing away from her. She closed her eyes in concentration. A moment later, the Triforce began to glow.

_'Link!' _Zelda called out in her mind. _'Link, can you hear me?'_

A moment passed. Zelda held her breath. _'Zelda?' _she heard Link's voice in her head, and she released the breath in a sigh of relief. _'Zelda, where are you? Are you alright? Is Malon there?' _He sounded frantic. But of course he would be.

_'It's okay, Link. Malon is with me; we're both alright. I need you to listen to me.'_

_'What's going on? The king and I are looking for you. We're going to save both of you,' _Link said.

_'I know, but you need to listen to me. It isn't going to be that easy. Malon and I have come up with a plan,' _Zelda told him. _'I can't tell you everything, but when you get here, Ladarius is probably going to bring you to us. When he does, one of us is going to give you a signal, and we need you to get your bow and arrows to Malon. It's very important.'_

_'My bow and arrows? Why?'_

Malon bit her lip nervously. Zelda was starting to breath very hard. Was she alright?

_'I'm sorry, Link,' _Zelda said. _'I can't keep this up much longer. Please, just do it.'_

_'Okay, I will. Be careful, alright?'_

_'You too, Link,' _Zelda said. She broke off the connection, and her body fell forward. She caught herself with her hands, and leaned her weight on them, breathing hard.

"Zelda, are you okay?" Malon asked, placing her hands on the princess's shoulders.

Zelda nodded, sitting back up. "I gave him the message," she said. "I think we should try to sleep now. We're going to need all our rest."

"Yeah," Malon agreed.

--

The swirls of dark light surrounded Ren's body, and he disappeared from the bloody field, leaving only the bodies of the three guards. He appeared inside his house, and walked to the bedroom. A sadistic grin spread across his face as he replayed the scene of the guards' deaths in his mind, stretching his fingers joyfully. How he loved killing.

The cloak lay neatly on his bed where he had laid it, waiting to join its master yet again. He pulled the cloak over his shoulders, covering his head with the deep hood. Soon Link and that foolish king would arrive, and then the final elements of his plan would finally begin. He could hardly wait.

His hand reached for the blue pendant in his pocket, and he pulled it out, fingering it lovingly. How wise he had been to leave this pendant where the foolish lad could find it. Now he would take his revenge, and he would love every moment of it. He could not wait to watch them suffer once again, and it would be all his doing. He chuckled, and slipped the pendant back into his pocket. Not long now. He must make preparations, to ensure he would be ready when they found him.

--

"Link? Are you okay?"

Link looked up, shaking his head. He was sitting on Epona's back in the middle of the field. He hadn't realized that as Zelda spoke to him he had stopped riding. Daphnes sat on his own horse beside him, peering with concern into Link's face.

"Yeah, sorry," Link replied. "Zelda just spoke to me."

"Zelda did?" Daphnes said, looking shocked. "Is she alright? Where is she?"

Link shook his head, looking down at the top of Epona's head. "She didn't say," he told the King apologetically. "But she told me she's with Malon, and they're both okay. She said they've come up with a plan, but she didn't have time to tell me everything." Link relayed Zelda's message to Daphnes.

The King turned so he was facing frontwards again. "I see," he said. He looked worried, but he nodded. "Listen to her. I trust Zelda."

"Yeah. Me too," Link said.

Daphnes glanced at the sky. It was nearly noontime now. "We should get going."

"Yeah."

They rode on, pushing the horses as fast as they dared as the sun crept higher into the sky. Anxiety about Ren's safety still pushed on the backs of their minds, but for now there was a more urgent matter to worry about. Even Epona seemed to sense their urgency. Her ears were pressed back with 

determination, and she did not whinny in complaint as she would normally do when Link made her ride for long amounts of time, but instead she pushed forward steadily.

Link suddenly found himself worrying about Malon and Zelda again. Zelda had told him that they were both fine, but what if she had just said that to make him feel more secure? He himself had purposely failed to mention what had happened to Ren so she wouldn't worry. She could easily have done the same for him.

"Link, look," Daphnes said, jerking Link out of his thoughts.

Link looked up. His eyes followed Daphnes' finger to a long house. A dark mist hovered around the house, and Link's eyes narrowed. "This is it," he growled, leaning forward to press the mare on faster.

"Wait," Daphnes said. "Something isn't right."

"Of course something's not right," Link spat. What was Daphnes' problem? Here they were, finally at the place where Zelda and Malon most likely were, and he wanted him to wait?

"Calm down, Link. I'm not your enemy," Daphnes told him. "But this is Renaldo's house."

Link's brow furrowed. "What?" he asked. He looked back at the dark house. This was Ren's house? "But why is Ladarius here?"

Daphnes shook his head. "I don't know," he replied. "But I don't like it."

Link frowned. "It doesn't matter. Let's get going," he said, pushing Epona into a gallop. Daphnes followed after.

As they drew nearer, Epona and Daphnes' stallion whinnied, jerking back as though in pain. The stallion rose up on its hind legs, and Daphnes had to tighten his grip to keep from falling off. He climbed down as the stallion calmed, and turned to Link.

"We should leave the horses here," Daphnes said.

Link nodded and slid off Epona's back, grabbing his bow and quiver off her saddle as he did so and slinging them onto his own back. "Will yours be okay?" he asked.

"He'll have to be," Daphnes replied.

Link reached up to his sword, drawing it out of the sheath as he turned to the house. His heart was beating with fear, but adrenaline was kicking in once again, allowing him to walk towards the house, Daphnes following behind with his sword drawn as well.

The house was eerily quiet as they walked inside, looking around, ready for any sudden attack by Ladarius. Nothing moved, and they continued through the house, searching for anything. Their breath came hard and loud, the only sound they could hear.

Daphnes stopped, his eyes peeling around the room. "Link," he said, catching Link's attention. "If you had captured someone, and you didn't have a prison, where would you keep them?"

Link thought about it a moment, then shook his head, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know."

"I would keep them in the cellar," Daphnes said. "I think that's our best bet."

Link nodded, and followed the king as he made his way through the house. After a moment, Daphnes knelt down beside a rug, peering at it. He grabbed the rug, pulling it back, and revealing a trap door beneath where it had been. Daphnes grabbed the handle of the door, pulling it up and revealing a dark, dank smelling stairway.

Link swallowed the lump in his throat, and followed Daphnes, climbing through the trap door onto the stairs. They peered into the darkness, trying to see what the stairs led to.

"I can't see a thing," Link said, squinting in a vain attempt to make his eyes adjust.

"No use. I can't either," Daphnes replied. He took a deep breath. "We have no choice. Let's go down."

They crept down the stairs, unconsciously holding their breaths as they went farther into the darkness. A loud bang sounded above them, and then the darkness enveloped them completely as the trap door slammed shut. Link looked franticly over his shoulder, as though expecting to somehow see a cloaked figure coming down towards them in the darkness, but he did not see anything, and all he could hear was the creak of the stairs as Daphnes continued down them before him, and his own loud breath. Taking a shaky breath to try and calm himself, he followed Daphnes.

It may not have been long at all, but to Link and Daphnes, the stairs seemed to continue on forever, until at last, a faint orange-red glow began to illuminate the way before them. The stairs ended on a long, narrow corridor, and they continued along it, hands still clenched around the handles of their swords. The corridor led into a room, lit by torches in each corner. An altar had been set up in the center of the room, and tall candles burned beside this.

Link and Daphnes stared around the room. "What is this?" Link whispered. "It looks like a—"

"—marriage ceremony," Daphnes finished for him.

Link bit his lip in anger. That bastard.

A loud, cold laugh filled the room. Both Link's and Daphnes's heads shot towards the door set in the back left corner of the room as an all too familiar, cloaked figure stepped through it. Ladarius held Zelda tightly to him, his dagger pressed against her throat.

"Welcome, good friends. Welcome," he said.

Link gripped his sword tighter, instinctively stepping forward. "You bastard," he said through clenched teeth. "Just what the hell is your purpose?"

"Easy now," Ladarius said. He pressed the blade farther into Zelda's skin. She whimpered. "We wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious princess."

Link frowned, but stopped in his place.

"Good. Now both of you, lay down your swords," Ladarius ordered.

Link bit his lip, trying to decide if he should obey or not. Without their swords, he and Daphnes would be even more at a disadvantage. Behind him, he heard the sound of metal hitting stone. Turning to look over his shoulder, he saw the king laying his sword on the floor. Daphnes met Link's gaze as he stood back up, and nodded. Link frowned further, but obediently lay down his sword.

Ladarius chuckled. "Now, Malon. Why don't you come out?"

Link's eyes moved back to the door, just as Malon stepped out of it. She was dressed in a white silk dress with long flowing sleeves. "Malon," he whispered. Malon's eyes met his briefly, and he thought he saw her wink, and then she looked away, staring at the ground.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Ladarius commented coldly. "Now, Malon. I will give you one last chance. Marry me."

Malon frowned at the ground. Link watched her with bated breath. She looked up, glaring into Ladarius's hooded face. "Never," she spat. Link released the breath, feeling slightly relieved. But Ladarius still had Zelda, and now there was no telling what he would do.

"Hmm. I thought you might say that," Ladarius said. "Well, then." He released the hand gripping Zelda's arm, still pressing the blade against her throat, and held it towards Malon. Dark energy shot out of it, wrapping itself around Malon's body. She cried out, as if in pain, and stumbled backwards, her arms pinned to her sides.

Ladarius grabbed Zelda once again, and turned to Link. "Now, Link. Since Malon has so blatantly refused my offer, I will make one for you. You may save one of them—Zelda or Malon. Choose, and I will let that one go. The other you will kill with your hands, and I can force you."

Link gritted his teeth. How could he make a choice like that?

"Wait," Daphnes said, intervening. "You go too far. Let's make some other deal. What is it you want? Money? Land? Let them both go, and I will give you anything you ask for."

Ladarius laughed loudly. "Foolish King of Hyrule. There is nothing that you can give me. Now, let the boy choose, or I will kill them both."

Link felt a cold sweat breaking out on his entire body. Choose to save either Malon or Zelda, he may as well say choose which one of them he would rather kill. His stomach churned. How could he make such a choice? He remembered Daphnes's words about making sacrifices for the better of the kingdom. If he were to go by that, the choice was obvious. But he couldn't do that to Malon. And he 

couldn't do it to Zelda either. How could he live without either of them? It just wasn't possible. He felt his knees starting to go weak. He couldn't do it. He just couldn't.

"Link!" Malon cried. "Link, now!"

Link looked up, staring at her. A bright light shot out from Zelda's body. Ladarius screamed, stumbling back and dropping her, and she fell to the floor, gasping for breath. Her face looked pale, as if that had taken all of her strength. "Link, you have to do it, now," she gasped.

Link suddenly remembered what she had told him through her mind. He grabbed the bow and quiver from his back, and slung them at Malon. The dark energy surrounding her had disappeared when the light had flashed from Zelda's body, and she could now move. The farm girl acted quickly, grabbing an arrow from the quiver and setting it into the bow. She drew back the string, aiming the arrow at Ladarius's heart and preparing to let go. She paused, for only a brief moment, she paused. She had prepared herself for this, knew she must do it, but still, she had never taken a life.

"It's alright, Malon. Do it," Zelda said.

Malon narrowed her eyes, remembering everything Ladarius had done to her, and to Zelda, and to Link. She released the arrow. It flew straight and true, burrowing itself in Ladarius's chest, right into his heart. His body jerked, and then he slumped onto the floor and lay still. She grabbed another arrow, readying it just in case as she backed slowly towards Link and the others. Zelda stood up shakily, stumbling weakly towards Link. He caught her, holding her up so she didn't fall again.

"Malon, you did it," Zelda breathed.

"Wait," Daphnes and Malon said at the same time.

Link and Zelda looked at Ladarius's body. He was sitting up, slowly, and as he did, the hood fell back.

Zelda's knees buckled underneath her, and even though Link was holding her, she collapsed, falling onto the floor. "R-Ren," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. Link and Malon stared at him with wide eyes.

"So it was you," Daphnes murmured. "I didn't want to believe it."

Ladarius—Ren—chuckled. He pushed himself up so that he was standing, leaning against the wall. He touched the arrow gently. "What a joke," he said. "To think that you could kill me. But that's alright, this boy's body will die, and I no longer need it anyway. I have enough strength to kill all of you, and then I'll have access to the entire Kingdom of Hyrule."

"What do you mean?" Link asked. "What have you done to Ren?"

"That foolish boy's consciousness has already disappeared. It started to when he first found the thing I had sealed my spirit into, just before my body perished." He reached into his pocket, holding up the blue pendant.

"That's—" Link started.

"That's right," Ladarius said, replacing the pendant in his pocket. "This was the pendant you found in the dungeon. But you weren't the first to find it." He pointed at his chest. "He was. I'm not sure if he's even still alive." He laughed, and then held up his hand. "And now, I'll kill all of you, and take your little king's body."

"No, Daddy," Zelda whispered, trying to crawl to Daphnes.

"Wait!" Malon said, jumping in front of the others. "I-I'll marry you! So let the others go!"

Ladarius smirked. He began to walk towards her, slowly. "Silly little girl. Marrying you was not my wish, and now that he is gone, I have no more use for you."

Malon's hand which held the bow's string began to shake as Ladarius moved towards her, and she stepped back. "D-don't come any closer!"

"Malon, it's no use," Daphnes said.

"That's right," Ladarius said. "It seems he at least understands. So why don't you give up?"

"Link, Zelda," Daphnes continued. "You two bear the pieces of the Triforce. If you combine your powers, you should be able to defeat him."

Ladarius smirked again. "As if the little princess would be able to kill her dear, precious cousin."

"Zelda, you must," Daphnes said. "You heard what he said. Renaldo may already be dead anyway. This is the only way."

"But, Daddy—" Zelda started.

"Zelda!" Daphnes shouted, his voice stern.

Zelda stopped, staring at him, and then she nodded. She reached her hand up to Link. "Link, we have to join hands," she said. Link nodded, reaching down to grab her hand. Their Triforces began to glow. "Now focus all of your energy."

"As if I would allow you to even try," Ladarius said. Dark energy began to swirl around his hand. An arrow shot through the air, hitting his hand. He cried out in pain, and turned to glare at Malon as she drew back a third arrow.

"I won't let you interfere," she said.

Ladarius shoved his uninjured hand at her, causing himself to stumble backwards. His breath was becoming shallow as the life of the body he was using began to disappear. A ball of the dark energy hit Malon, throwing her backwards into the wall. He turned back to Link and Zelda, but it was already too late. A massive, glowing ball of light hovered over the clasped hands of the two children.

"Now, Link!" Zelda shouted. They threw their hands towards Ladarius, and the ball of light hit him, flinging him back.

The light surrounded him, seeming to seep into his skin, and filling his mouth, his nostrils, eyes, and ears. There was a resounding screech, and then it stopped as the light faded away as well, leaving Ren's body lying motionless on the ground, eyes closed.

"Ren," Zelda said. Tears were forming in her eyes. "Link, can you help me over to him?"

"Is it safe?" Link asked.

"Ladarius is gone. I can sense it," Zelda said. "Link, please."

Link's brow furrowed, and he nodded. He reached down, helping her stand, he half-supported, half-carried her over to Ren's body, setting her down beside it. Daphnes also walked over to his nephew's body, kneeling down beside it.

Zelda placed her hand on Ren's. "Ren," she whispered, a few tears escaping from her eyes. "Why?"

Ren's body twitched, and he opened his eyes, blinking a few times, and then weakly looking at Zelda. "Hi, Zelda," he said.

"Ren!" Zelda exclaimed. "Hold on! We'll get you to a doctor back home."

"No," Ren said. "It's too late."

"But Ren," Zelda said, choking on a sob.

Ren smiled at her. "Sorry," he said. "I really wanted to take care of you."

"Renaldo, just tell me one thing," Daphnes said. "How did it happen?"

Ren moved his eyes to the ceiling, swallowing. "It was a couple of years ago when I first met Malon," he said. "I don't think she remembers me, it was only once, briefly, when she came with her father to deliver milk to the castle, but she was so pretty, and so strong, and I loved her smile. I fell in love with her immediately. I couldn't stop thinking of her, so one day, I decided I would go visit her. But that day, she was already with Link. I hid and watched them, and I could see clearly that her heart already belonged to that boy.

"I was heartbroken, but there was nothing I could do, so I gave up. But once again, I couldn't stop thinking about her. Then one day, I ran into one of the guards who was supposed to be guarding 

the dungeons. He was scared to death, babbling about ghosts and evil spirits. I gave him to Impa and went to investigate the section he was guarding. That was when I found the pendant. It was just lying on in the corner of one of the cells, covered in dust. When I touched it, the spirit of hooded man appeared before me. I could sense that he was evil, but then he spoke to me. He said he could help me attain that which I desired most, if I would let him reside in my body. I knew I shouldn't, it was dangerous, but I thought, if I only used his power once and then destroyed the pendant, it would be alright.

"I was able to meet her again, and become friends with her. The only requirement was that I kept my identity hidden from her, so I did. It didn't seem to matter anyway. Soon, I became obsessed with her. I had thought I couldn't stop thinking about her before, but now her face wouldn't leave my mind, it was always there. I couldn't sleep or eat, I could barely function at all. So, under _his_ instruction, I started to paint. I could feel his presence growing stronger the more I painted, but I didn't care. I continued painting, all of them of her, and then I made my masterpiece. After that, I decided to propose to her. I showed her all the paintings I had done of her, then asked her to marry me. But she was frightened. She refused, and then I never saw her again. I blamed Link. I hated him. If it wasn't for him, I told myself, she might love me. My hatred for him grew. And then, Father died. I was distraught, and after that, whatever part of myself that was still fighting against _him_ faded away, and he took over completely.

"I was still there, watching his moves, and still partially in control, but it was only my hatred and obsession that remained alive. So I came up with a plan. It would take a long time, many months of waiting for the right moment, but it would come. And it did. It was easy to manipulate feelings of jealousy and hatred. Using that, I sealed away the powers of the Triforce, so the goddesses couldn't interfere. And then, you know the rest. Eventually, I came to my senses, but it was already too late, and he continued with the plan, despite my efforts to stop him. When Malon's arrow shot me, I finally gave up completely."

Ren blinked. A tear crept out of the corner of his eye, sliding down his face. "I'm sorry. I know it doesn't make up for it, but I really am." He squeezed Zelda's hand, and closed his eyes, his body going completely still as his breath stopped.

"Ren?" Zelda said. She placed her hands on his chest, shaking him. "Ren, please."

"Zelda, he's gone," Daphnes said gently.

"No he's not!" Zelda shouted. Angry tears streamed down her cheeks and she buried her face in Ren's shirt. "He's not! He's not! He's not." Sobs racked her body, choking away her voice.

Daphnes placed his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him. "I'm sorry, honey. I'm sorry."

--

"Zelda," Impa said softly, stepping into Zelda's bedroom. Instead of her normal armor, she wore a black robe, painted with the crying red eye of the Sheikah. "It's time."

Zelda stood up from her bed where she had sat quietly, staring out the window, and walked silently to the door where Impa waited for her. She too wore a simple, black dress, devoid of any silks or ruffles. Her hair hung straight and unadorned down her back.

The young princess and her nursemaid walked silently out of the castle, to the carriage waiting outside. They walked silently beside the carriage, while a procession of servants, guards, and hired mourners followed behind, and King Daphnes led the way on horseback.

The people of Hyrule lined the streets of Castletown respectfully, watching as the funeral procession passed. Zelda did not cry. Her tears had stopped two days ago, and she had been silent since then. Her father realized it was her way of dealing with what had happened, and he had left her alone, knowing she would speak on her own time.

They walked down the street, and over the drawbridge into Hyrule Field. When they reached the stairs leading to Kakariko Village, the procession paused while four servants picked up the coffin out of the carriage, and then proceeded to carry it up the stairs. At last, they reached the Royal Family's tombstone in the graveyard, and the procession stopped. Dante, the gravedigger, had already prepared everything. The king spoke a few words, and then the coffin was lowered into the grave.

The procession began to leave, but Zelda remained standing before the tombstone. Daphnes stopped beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm going to stay here for awhile," she said. "I want to be alone."

"I understand," Daphnes said. He nodded to Impa, and the two of them left, leaving Zelda alone in front of the grave.

Zelda placed her hand on the tombstone. "I'm sorry, Ren," she whispered softly. "If I had known, maybe I could have done something to help." She paused, listening to the wind blowing in the graveyard. "I forgive you for everything, and so does Link, and Malon, and Father and Impa too. You were like my older brother. And I love you. Goodbye, Ren." She stood there for another moment, and then she turned away and left the graveyard.

—Epilogue—

Malon laid back on the grass, squinting up at the sky, and letting the cool water of the pool ease her feet. "You're right," she said. "This is definitely better than that stuffy party."

Zelda laughed. "I told you," she said. "I've been dealing with these things my whole life. It's only one of the many joys of being a princess."

Malon snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure," she said. She rolled onto her side, leaning up on her elbow to she could look at Zelda. "So, are you doing okay?" Two months had passed since Ren's death, and under Impa's suggestion, King Daphnes had set up another coming to age party for Zelda. This time, though, it was just for her enjoyment.

Zelda's smile faded, and she stared at her reflection in the pool. "Yes," she said after a moment. "It's still lonely, without him here to get on my nerves or to help me out of trouble. I get sad sometimes, but I am doing better. Besides, now I have a best friend to help me out of it." She looked at Malon and smiled.

Malon returned the smile, then rolled over on her back again. "I'm glad," she said.

"I noticed you and Link seem to be getting closer," Zelda commented, changing the subject.

Malon blushed slightly. "Y-you think so?"

Zelda giggled. "Of course! I can always tell that sort of thing!"

"Hey! There you guys are!" Link cried. Malon and Zelda looked up to see Link standing in the entrance of the courtyard, leaning his hands on his knees and breathing hard. "That was mean, to leave me in there all alone," he said, standing up and crossing his arms.

The two girls giggled, standing up and walking over to him. "Sorry, Link," they said in unison.

He rolled his eyes at them, sighing. "I wish you two would stop doing stuff like that," he mumbled.

"I'm bored. I say we sneak out of the castle and go do something in Castletown!" Zelda said.

"Yeah, let's!" Malon agreed.

"Seriously? I'm going to get in a load of trouble with Impa and King Daphnes," Link said.

"Please?" Zelda said, giving him the puppy dog eyes.

"Come on, Link. You can't say no to that," Malon said, crossing her arms.

Link sighed, dropping his arms to his sides in defeat. "Oh, fine."

"Yay!" Zelda cried, skipping up to him. She linked her arm around his. "Let's get going!" She leaned over. "Hey, Malon." Malon looked at her, and Zelda winked, hugging Link's arm against her. "Don't think I'm going to just give up."

Malon frowned, and grabbed Link's other arm. "Oh yeah? Well, I'm not either."

Zelda frowned. "Fine then," she said. "I guess it's war."

"I guess it is," Malon agreed.

Link looked back and forth between them. "Am I supposed to have any clue what's going on?" he asked.

"No," Malon and Zelda said.

"Oh, good. Cause I don't."

Zelda and Malon looked at each other, and giggled.

* * *

The Legend of Zelda: Choices of the Heart--by Carly Francis (ElysianFire)

Fin...


	10. Sequel Teaser

_A/N: A teaser/preview thing to my sequel, Storms of Time (title tentative). It may be awhile before I actually start posting this story, as I'm still working out the details of where I want it to go. I hope you'll look forward to it though!_

The balance of the time-space continuum is very delicate. If it were to be thrown off, the end could only be disaster.

Six months have passed since Ladarius was defeated, and Hyrule is enjoying peace once again. But as always, peace is short-lived, and soon, natural disasters begin to ravage the land. King Daphnes sends Link to investigate, and Malon and Zelda tag along. What they learn will shock everyone. Desperate, with the fate of Hyrule in their hands, the three children turn to the Sage of Time for help.


End file.
